Can you escape fate?
by Sternschnuppe3378
Summary: Maura and Jane meet again by fate after beeing estranged for a while. Jane is now working in New York coming home for christmas while Maura has just moved back to Boston.
1. Chapter 1

Jane sat at her table by the window, looking out to a rainy Boston morning. A huge airplane rolled by, as a waiter put the ordered Cappuccino down in front of her. She thanked him and shuffled the papers which lay in front of her to one pile. Sighing she thought about the case, which had kept her busy, almost to the point where she had forgotten that she had promised to fly to Boston over the Christmas holiday.

"_Okay ma. I will come home._" She had almost pouted as her mother had nagged at her a month ago. She hadn't been in Boston since she had left the FBI and moved to New York three years ago. Home was a strange word she thought. What exactly is home? Is it a building, a feeling? What? This place didn't feel like home anymore and she didn't like to be here feeling estranged.

"_Excuse me, would you mind if we sit here? The restaurant is so packed…"_ a polite voice invaded Janes thinking. Not recognizing the voice at first, she just nodded. She would hopefully been gone soon, so she didn't mind.

She gasped when she looked up to see the blonde woman which had haunted her for so many years, dropping her bag onto one of the chairs. A little girl was standing right next to her, smiling, holding a plush bear firmly in her arms. _"Hi, I'm Sophie."_ She said and politely held out her hand to Jane.

The brunette noticed that Sophie was just a spitting image of Maura, only in little. The same smile, the same blonde hair, the same nose….

In this moment, the world around Jane stood still. Confused she shook the hand of the child, introducing herself as Jane. "_Nice to meet you Sophie."_ She managed to say and hoped to sound nonchalantly and friendly.

The blonde who was busy rummaging around her bag, instantly stopped when Jane said her name. But maybe it was also her deep raspy voice, which was immediately recognized by Maura, who turned and gasped.

"_Jane?!"_ she whispered, looking pale like the ghost she was in the brunette's dreams.

Jane blushed, recalling the time they had spent together in Paris. Back then Jane had finally worked up all her braveness to confess Maura that she loved her. Only to get rejected. Finally leaving earlier than planned because the mood between them had become awkward and painful. They hadn't spoken to each other since that day.

Messages had been exchanged from time to time, only proving that their friendship was gone. And now fate or whatever had put them into a crowded restaurant together.

"_I'm not hungry, can I go and play mommy, pleaaaaaseeeee."_ The girl asked Maura, seemingly not aware of the emotions of the adults. Jane didn't want her to go, to leave her alone with the blonde woman and she cringed when Maura nodded okay to Sophie. She swallowed hard and watched how the blonde settled on a chair on the opposite of her from which she could have an eye on her daughter.

For a while none of them spoke, Jane looked out of the window and Maura pretended to be busy watching Sophie.

"_You're working a case?"_ Maura spoke into the silence which lingered between them, glancing at the pile of paper in front of the brunette. Jane was still confused, not knowing how to act. She decided to try and act normal. Frankie would pick her up soon, and then Maura would become a ghost again.

Therefore, she nodded and took a sip from her coffee. _"Can I … uhm… have a look?"_ Maura questioned shyly. Jane nodded again, pushing the pile towards her former friend, praying to god that Frankie would be there any minute so she could leave.

She couldn't help but watch Maura flipping through the file, stopping at the crime scene pictures with the body. _"God, I miss working."_ She sighed, shuffling through the pile_. "I miss the old times."_ Her whisper was so silent that Jane could hardly hear her over the noises of the crowded restaurant. But she could see a sad expression on Maura's face.

Jane felt how the anger crept up her throat and she tried to swallow it back. If this was Maura holding a hand out to her, she wouldn't take it. There was no way. Maura had dropped her like a hot potato and refused to talk about the matter. Jane couldn't even count the calls which had gone unanswered by the blonde. Bitterness and disapointement were raging inside of her as she thought that she was so done with that woman, knowing immediately that it was a lie and self protection.

She almost shrieked when two girls were suddenly standing next to the table, giggling silly_. "Ask her!" _Sophie said to the other one. The other one replying. _"Naw, you better ask."_ More silly giggling. Jane automatically pulling her daughter closer, kissing the top of her head and requesting_: "Ask what, honey?"_

She noticed how Maura's jaw dropped but she tried to focus on the five-year-old in her arms. _"I and Sophie decided that we should go to the park together in our holidays. Can we?"_ Excited eyes were directed towards the two women.

"_Pleaaaaaasssseeeee_" Sophie begged to no one in particular. Jane sighed. _"Well, I'm sure we can work something out. Right?"_ she gingerly said glancing at Maura whose jaw was still hanging loose. Jane was already looking for a solution as to how to fulfill their daughters wishes without too much contact with the blonde.

"_Besides its Sophie and I."_ she playfully scolded Julia, her daughter, and winked with a smile. The girl said: _"Whatever."_ And the kids returned to the corner where the toys were after receiving a nod from Maura. Jane rolled her eyes quietly and took another sip from her coffee.

She looked up when she heard a chuckling noise from the other side of the table which surprised her. "_I'm sorry, but she's just so like you."_ Maura grinned at Jane who couldn't help but give a little laughter too. "_Yeah, that scares me sometimes."_ Jane admitted and thought _Crap! Its been what? Five minutes and I'm already falling for that woman again. Shit!_

She felt how Maura brushed slightly over the back of her hand. It was a quick and seemingly nonchalant move, but it sent electroshocks through Janes body. Since Maura, she had no one let get so close to her again, because she didn't want to hurt anymore. She withdrew the hand from the table and put it on the mug where it was safe. _Shit! _She thought realizing that the blonde woman could still get under her skin so easy.

"_I think its good, the world needs more Jane Rizzolis."_ Maura said trying to catch Janes eyes. Jane was just about to say _Really?_ Which would have been sarcastic and maybe hurt the blonde when her phone rang.

"_Rizzoli_" Saved by the bell she thought as she heard Frankie's voice say that he would be able to pick her up in ten minutes_. "I have to go, Maura. Frankie is picking me up. If the girls should still want to meet…. Well I still have my old number."_

The sad look in Maura's eyes was back and it didn't escape the brunette as she grabbed her stuff.

Her heart became heavy when she went to pick Julia. Her girl was happily playing with Sophie and she had a hard time interrupting them. She didn't know about Maura's girl, but her daughter didn't warm up to other kids easily, just like her when she was young and even still now. Therefore, she had not much friends either_. It had to be Maura's kid she had to fall for, Jane thought. Why wasn't she surprised? _

She had to promise both girls that they would meet during the holidays in order to lure Julia away. They were already on their way to the exit, when Julia spoke up again. _"Can uncle Frankie take Maura and Sophie too in his car? No one picks them up."_ There was a sad tone in her voice. Jane cringed. She knew how hard it was to catch a taxi in the holiday season and stopped in her tracks.

Part of her also realized of course that Julia had mentioned it because she was sad leaving her friend behind. She stood and thought quickly. She didn't want to spent time with Maura, not more than necessary anyway. On the other hand, how could she ignore the light in Julia's eyes when finding a friend?

_Damn it!_ She muttered when pulling out her phone. _"I ask Maura if they want to join us, okay?"_ she said and tried to smile at Julia, who jumped in joy. Her fingers trembled slightly as she searched her phone for a number which she had wanted to delete a thousand times already.

The blonde picked up after the second ring. _"Jane?_" Maura sounded surprised. No wonder, she must have felt Janes rejection.

"_Yeah, Hey, it's me. Julia asks if you would like to join us for the ride to Boston?"_ she said after clearing her throat unconsciously rubbing wet palms against her jeans, trying to sound cool.

There was silence on the other end at first. Then… "_Well, honestly it would be great. I have no one to pick me up and … "_ Jane didn't quite get the last words because of a group of tourists who passed them by, talking loudly.

The brunette quickly told Maura where they were and hoped that she had gotten the directions right. Julia was over the moon about the news, telling Jane all kind of things about her new friend, but Jane only listened half heartedly because her heart was thumping so loud and the girl was talking so fast.

A few minutes later Sophie came running towards them, excited she swung her arms around Julia. Both girls immediately started to whisper and giggle. The brunette tried to imagine what it would have been like if Maura and she had met at their age. Kids had clearly an advantage she thought, as she watched the blonde approach, face slightly red. Either from carrying around the heavy bag or seeing Jane again.

Maura thanked her as they walked towards the exit, kids in between them. Each attached to their mothers' hand.

"_Uncle Frankieeeeeee."_ Julia exclaimed when spotting him. He had visited Jane several times in New York, and the five-year-old adored her uncle. _"Hey sweetie."_ He said and lifted her up, planting loads of kisses on her face. _"Let me down uncle Frankie."_ Julia managed to say in between her laughter while fidgeting with her feet in the air.

"_This is Sophie. She's my friend."_ She pointed with her little thumb to the other girl who was hiding behind Maura, following the scene wide eyed. It was then when her brother realized who was standing in front of him. "_Maura?!"_ he said in disbelief, quickly glancing at Jane who shrugged.

After Paris, Jane had bottled up completely. But when she had realized that she couldn't handle the pain herself, she had talked to Frankie. They had spent hours on the phone, and he had listened as she had cried over what had happened between her and the blonde. No wonder that he was surprised, Jane thought.

Maura held out a hand to greet him, but Frankie just pulled her into a hug. _"Its good to see you after such a long time." _He said smiling warmly.

Then he crouched down and glanced at the girl hiding behind her mothers' leg. _"Hey to you too."_ He softly said_. "I'm Frankie, Julia's uncle._" Jane remembered the girl introducing herself earlier at the table and wondered why Sophie was so suddenly shy.

But she had no time to think about it as Frankie then pulled his sister into a long hug.

After loading up all the luggage into the trunk, they were headed towards Boston. Jane on the passenger's side, the rest in the back. _Breathe, Jane._ She thought. _Just breathe_. She had noticed that Maura was not wearing a wedding ring. She scolded herself for thinking about such stupid stuff. Besides Maura had told her on several occasions that Jane was not her type. She wasn't probably even gay, Jane thought.

"_So where should I drop you?"_ Frankie asked looking into the rear-view mirror. _"it would be great if you could bring me to my house in beacon hill._" Maura quietly said and looked sad. Frankie nodded and turned to Jane. His eyes kind of saying_: talk to her._ But Jane had no intention. She saw how her brother rolled his eyes.

He found her on the terrace of their mothers' home, later that night. Angela was playing with Julia, so Jane had taken the opportunity to have some time on her own. Frankie put a hand on her shoulder when walking up from behind of her. _"Talk to me, Jane."_ He said silently and stood that he could face her.

The brunette looked at him sadly and sighed. _"What do you want me to say? She was suddenly there, at the restaurant. By the time we recognized each other, it was too late."_

"_I got that. But that's not what I was asking." _

Jane took a sip from her beer and shrugged. _"I'm a mess, if that's what you wanted to know."_

"_Much better, Jane."_ He sighed, looking up into the stars, his breath forming a white cloud in front of his mouth.

"_She seems to be sorry. And you miss her. Maybe you should talk to her."_ His words drifted to her mind.

"_I can't Frankie. Even if I forget what she said to me, I can't handle a friendship with her anymore. I can't stand her being close to me without being with her. This would kill me."_ She felt how a tear rolled down her cheek.

Frankie sighed again. _"Look Jane, I know how it feels to be rejected, and I know how it feels to lose a friend. It is sad. But as I see it you haven't lost her. Everybody knows that there is a strong bond between you. Don't you think that its worth a try to clear things up?"_

Jane stared at him before she took the last sip of her bottle of beer and left Frankie alone on the terrace, going into the house.

When she had settled in the guestrooms bed with Julia's tiny body pressed against hers, she started to mull over her brother's words.

The girl had fallen asleep quickly after curling up on her. She had talked about Sophie almost the entire evening until she was too tired to talk anymore. Jane softly caressed the dark curls as she did every night, murmuring: "_Good night, honey. I love you little angel." _


	2. Chapter 2

After jotting down the most important new information from the lab, Jane busied herself in wrapping her mind around the puzzle until a happy red-faced Julia excitedly entered the room after spending some hours with Frankie at the ice rank. The girl jumped onto the bed, taking care not to crumple the sheets of papers which were spread around Jane. The brunette put them back together to a pile in order to pull her kid into a hug.

Julia giggled and Jane nuzzled her nose into the girl's dark curly hair which smelled like fresh air and snow. It had begun to snow the previous evening, and it was still snowing now. _"So, how was ice skating?"_ she asked, eying her daughter.

"_Great!"_ Julia replied giving her mother a detailed description of her day so far. _"And then Uncle Frankie threw a snowball at me!"_ she playfully pouted acting offended. The brunette chuckled. "_No way!" _she played along, acting offended to.

"_Yeah! But don't worry ma, I threw one back!"_ Julia told her with shining eyes. All proud of herself.

Jane smiled and felt grateful for Frankie who brought so much joy to her daughter.

They spent some more time talking and snuggling until Angela called them for lunch. Julia, obviously hungry dug into the Mac and cheese while Jane ate slowly. She wasn't really hungry and tried to ignore her mother's suspicious glares.

She felt bad enough and hoped that no one would bring Maura up. Sitting on the bed later she pulled her strong hands through her mane, listening to the voices of Angela who was playing with Julia. The brunette decided to go for a run after not being able to focus on the case anyways. As she wanted to make sure, that her daughter wouldn't see the file, she hid it. Hopefully she would be able to focus better after some fresh air.

Her phone buzzed announcing a message when she was just about ready to leave the guestroom. Jane reached for it in her pocket quickly reading the message.

**Hey, I'm going to take Sophie to the art exhibition for children tomorrow. Sophie wants to invite Julia to come with us. Would that be okay for you? **

The brunette gave it a thought. Of course, she had no problem with that, if that's what Julia wanted. Even though she knew that the perspective of spending time with her friend would make her daughter say yes anyways, she asked her daughter, who was more than excited.

**That's fine. I can take her to your place if you give me a time.**

**We would leave around nine.**

Jane nodded. Nine was a good time. She ended the conversation with a quick confirmation and headed for her run.

Later that night she found herself standing in front of the dirty robber to meet Frankie. Loud music was coming out of the bar as she opened the door to see that the room was packed. The brunette saw her brother sitting at the counter talking to Korsak and took a deep breath as she made her way towards them.

Korsak walked around the counter to hug her. "Jane, good to see you!" he said while a smile spread across his face that warmed her heart. The brunette checked for her phone as she took a seat on the bar stool next to Frankie.

Julia was used to her not being home every evening due to her work. It usually worked fine as her neighbor who was a student loved to babysit the girl. But Jane wasn't sure how it would go here in Boston, so she felt a bit nervous.

"_What do you want to drink, Jane?"_ Korsak asked adding that all her drinks would be on the house tonight. The brunette went for a beer and started to relax. She spotted some of her former colleagues from BPD in the room as she glanced around.

"_So, how's NYPD?"_ Korsak asked over the music handing her the bottle.

Jane took a sip and thought. "_Very different. Much bigger with more workload."_ She replied.

Korsak listened to the siblings as they exchanged stories about the cases, they had worked over the last years stating that he was happy to have retired_. "Yeah, your lucky."_ Jane said as a hand touched her shoulder.

"_Rizzoli! How nice to see that you haven't killed yourself by jumping from a bridge or shooting yourself yet."_ Crowe said with a mischievous grin plastered to his face_. "I heard you have a kid now…"_ he continued but got interrupted by the brunette. "_Yeah, and I'm surprised that no one has killed you yet as you are so charming."_

Crowe clicked his tongue. "_Still the same old Rizzoli, ha?"_ then he made a point in looking around and asked _"Where is your girlfriend Maura? You never showed without her. Is she at home babysitting your five kids?"_

"_Leave her alone Crowe!"_ Frankie growled before Jane could speak.

"_Oh, how nice. Her little brother is…"_ the detective shut up when he saw the menacing glare from Jane. The brunette appeared to be calm to the outside, but the fists were pumping in her lap where no one could see them. She was everything but fine, as a panic attack was just around the corner. Crowe must have felt the peril as he suddenly turned to Korsak to order more drinks for himself and his friends.

Korsak chuckled. _"Damn, I hope you'll never be mad at me like that. I would drop down dead with this glare in your eyes."_

The brunette felt how the tension left her body and chuckled with the boys. She couldn't help but smile when driving home after the second beer. It had been her first evening out in ages and the talk with some old friends had been good.

Julia was sleeping when she returned home. Angela had waited up for her, watching TV. Jane went to bed after checking in with her how the evening had gone. Her mother couldn't stop praising how sweet the little girl was and that they had had a lot of fun together. First playing games, then Angela had read her a story and tucked her in.

Maybe there had been no reason to fear this visit in Boston Jane thought opening the door to the guestroom quietly. Julia shifted automatically into her arms when she settled into the bed. "Good night, sweetie. I love you little angle." Jane whispered to her and kissed the tiny forehead before falling asleep herself.

The brunette had a strange feeling when standing on the porch of Maura's home at beacon hill the next day. She could recall her coming and going as she pleased all too well. Back then when she had had a key to the house. Now she had to ring the bell like anybody else.

Julia hopped from one foot to the other, like she always did, when being excited, waiting for the door to open. Jane chuckled at her little energy bundle still feeling odd.

"_Coming!"_ she heard Maura's voice from inside shortly before a key turned in the lock. The blonde wore an elegant marine-blue coat and a white scarf was wrapped around her neck. It had stopped to snow, but the surrounding was still covered in white and it was cold.

Sophie appeared behind Maura and greeted them. _"Can Jane come with us?"_ she questioned, looking up to her mother. Adding a long _"pleeeeaaaaaase."_

Maura hesitated and looked at Jane. _"I think that Jane is busy, sweetheart_."

Jane cleared her throat, touched by the fact that Sophie wanted her to join. _"Well, I think I can easily spare the time for the visit to the museum."_ She heard herself say in surprise.

Needless to say, that Julia was happy too, when the four of them sat in the car driving off to have fun.

Sophie and Julia sang along the Christmas carols which were playing on the radio, while Jane focused on the street driving carefully as it was slippery and wet. Once at the museum the girls headed off to the first exhibits leaving Jane and Maura to themselves.

Now I know how divorced parents must feel Jane thought feeling a little bit awkward. They spent a little while strolling behind the girls. Maura explaining them some things occasionally, when asked. Jane looking at the exhibits herself, letting herself fall behind from time to time to calm down.

The brunette shrieked when Maura's face suddenly appeared on the opposite site of the showcase which she had been looking into_. "Hell Maura, you almost gave me a heart attack."_ She scolded the blonde.

"_Sorry Jane, I wondered what you were looking at."_ Maura said and blushed.

"_How's the case going?"_ the blonde asked to divert the subject when both straightened up. Jane raised an eyebrow, presuming that this situation must feel odd for Maura too.

"_Not good."_ She mumbled. _"We have a primary suspect but not enough evidence to build a case."_

Jane saw how Maura pursed her lips. "_What is it?"_ she gingerly asked.

"_Well, I would have to see the ME's report again, I had not much time to read it at the airport. But there was something which stood out to me."_ the blonde stated glancing at the kids who were chasing each other down a long floor.

Jane followed her glance and started to walk towards them. By the time she had reached them Julia was already lying on the floor as she had stumbled over an open shoelace.

"_Hey honey, its okay."_ The brunette said with a gentle voice caressing her daughters face with the back of the hand. She had once read in a book about parenting, that panicking as a parent made the child panic to. she lifted the crying girl into her arms and talked to her softly.

"_I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt her."_ Sophies tiny voice came from behind Maura's leg. Jane could hear that she was close to tears too.

"_Don't worry."_ She addressed the kid. "_Stuff like this happens. Ask your mum about me and Uncle Frankie._" She said and winked at Sophie who cautiously poked her head towards her, the rest of the body still hidden behind Maura.

The brunette carried Julia to a bench to make her sit after she had calmed down. Crouching in front of her she whipped the tears away with her hands. _"Are you okay, honey?"_ she asked with such a soft tone, which made Maura tremble slightly. She had never heard it before.

Julia moved the limbs of her body, as if she was testing if everything was still were it belonged and then nodded.

The brunette gave her a wide smile_. "Lets tie up your shoelaces and then you can play with Sophie again. Okay?" _

The girl nodded cleaning her nose with her sleeve and watched as Jane worked on her shoes. Then she hopped off the bench as if it had never happened and started a new race with Sophie which made Jane and Maura roll their eyes.

"_I'm sorry."_ Maura apologized once more for the incident, but Jane shrugged it off. "_Remember my broken nose when I played basketball with Frankie? I mean it when I say that stuff like that happens."_

Maura chuckled as she remembered only too well how she had to reposition Janes nose at a crime scene.

The blonde was surprised to catch a warm glimpse of Jane, but as it vanished quickly, she wasn't sure if she just hadn't imagined it.

They hurried to catch up with Julia and Sophie who had disappeared into the next room of the exhibition. Jane thinking that her job had made her paranoid about something happening to her girl. Even at the restaurant at the airport she had chosen a seat which had enabled her to watch Julia through a TV screen, which mirrored the corner with the toys.

Obviously, Maura felt the same notion, giving Sophie space to run, but always staying close enough to have an eye on her.

"_So, if you like I can take another look at the report. Maybe I can give you more information then."_ Maura resumed their talk from earlier. _"You might send it to me or so."_

Jane started to relax as she noticed that Maura was not pushing her. Unlike her mother or Frankie. It appeared that the blonde had accepted the situation. But hadn't this always been one of their strength? Their understanding for and of each other? Letting the other be, although they were so different?

Out of this feeling of freedom she suggested that she could swing by with the file if this made it easier for Maura.

The blonde nodded. Of course, it would be easier reading the papers instead of reading from a small picture, even if you could enhance it.

"_You could swing by later, when Sophie sleeps. I don't want her to see the file." _

Jane agreed. She didn't want Julia to see it either therefore she always hid the files when she wasn't around. The brunette would have preferred if Maura came to her mother's house though. First, she was afraid of the memories linked to beacon hill. And second she trusted herself more if somebody else was around. But seeing as it was more practical because she had Angela as babysitter, she had not much choice.

"_Just text me when you're ready_." She quietly said. _"Its only a ten minutes' drive."_

The blonde promised to do so. Afterwards they kept following the kids in silence, until they were through with the exhibition.

"_Did you like it?"_ Jane asked when they had dropped Maura and Sophie at their house.

"_Yeah. I think I'm going to be an artisan too when I'm grown._" Julia replied after giving the question a thought.

Jane chuckled. "_Its an artist, honey."_ She corrected the girl and earned another "_Whatever." _

After eating a huge slice of Pizza Julia fell asleep on the couch, a happy grin covering her face. Jane pulled a blanket over her tiny body and sat to the other end of the couch, watching TV. These exhibitions make one really tired she thought as she felt her eyes close.

"_Ma, could you please babysit tonight? I have something to do_." Jane asked her mother later while helping to put the groceries away. She wondered if her mother was expecting some disaster with the amount of food, she had brought home from the mall.

Angela stopped in her track and glanced at Jane nosily. _"What are you going to do?"_ she asked bluntly. The brunette didn't want to tell her that she was going to meet Maura, so she went for a _"Ma, don't be so nosey."_

The matriarch smirked. Jane could see how she fought herself over wanting to know so badly that she would threaten Jane not to baby sit and the desire to spend as much time as possible with her grandchild. The second one won. But Angela was not happy as she continued to stuff groceries in already overflowing cupboards.

"_Do you have a date?"_ Angela tried again later, looking suspicious at Jane who nervously tugged at her shirt in front of the mirror.

Jane caught her breath, imagining what it would be like to have a date with Maura. I really must stop this nonsense she scolded herself, feeling angry at herself. And at her mother.

"_No ma, I'm not having a date. I'm done with dating in case I haven't told you often enough before."_ She pouted.

Angela looked at her with a raised eyebrow. _"You had a shower and you are nervous about how you look. That's a lot expenditure for doing just something._" The older woman pointed out flatly.

The brunette thought that her mother was right, so she stopped fumbling around her cloths and left the bathroom.

When Maura hadn't written at 10 pm Jane wondered if Maura was rejecting her again? Anger mixed with pain to a bad feeling.

Half an hour later her phone buzzed. 30 minutes of nerve-racking herself made her feel tired. She reached over Julia who was sleeping in her arms to reach for the phone on the nightstand.

**Sorry, Sophie wouldn't sleep. Do you still want to come by or rather tomorrow?**

Jane growled silently and moved her tall body out of the bed afraid to wake her daughter. Once she stood, she knew that her cloths were totally wrinkled.

Her mind was racing as she couldn't decide if now or tomorrow but seen as it was already late it would be tomorrow anyways when they met.

**I'm coming, if you don't mind staying up late.** She texted on her way to the door.

**Now is fine. Less risk to get disturbed.**

Jane couldn't help but chuckle. If somebody didn't know the background story that they were talking about studying a file together he would probably have assumed that something dirty was going on.

Maura opened the door right away this time, wearing a golden silk pajama. When she saw Jane gasping at the view she blushed. _"Sorry, I didn't want to lay down with Sophie in my other clothes."_

"_Naw, its fine."_ Jane said feeling relieved after the explanation.

The blonde pulled a bottle of wine out of the fridge offering some to Jane. The brunette took a glass and sat down onto the couch handing Maura the file.

She was in awe as to the blonde's ability to memorize things.

"_Sophie was so overwhelmed and exhausted that she fell asleep after coming home."_ Maura mentioned while flipping to the right page.

"_Yeah, Julia too. I woke her up otherwise she would still be up now."_ Jane replied absentminded, rubbing over the scars on her hand.

"_I'm glad you joined us today."_ Maura tried to make it sound casual, not daring to look up at Jane.

The brunette let her mind roll around it while watching the blonde read.

Then Maura explained to her that she thought that the ME had made a mistake of interpretation of the evidence. Seeing Janes puzzled look Maura elaborated that in her opinion they had a very good evidence to build the case and Jane jotted down what the evidence was and why the misinterpretation couldn't be true so she could talk to the ME and ask him to change his report.

This was going to be fun she thought sarcastically. Especially as she had to do it over the phone.

"_I know him, if you like I can talk to him tomorrow."_ Maura offered, reading Janes thoughts.

The brunette rubbed her eyes. Wouldn't everybody think that she was a baby if she let the blonde handle the situation? But on the other hand, they stood probably a better chance if she did it.

"_You thought I would reject you again, didn't you?"_ a stern voice drifted into her thoughts.

"_What?"_ she looked up in surprise_. Damn it!_ Maura could still read her like an open book. She saw how the other woman bit her lip, looking worried, even shaky. Jane recognized the fear of losing her. Maura didn't pressure her, but she kept dropping hints that she liked to rekindle their friendship. At the end she wanted Jane to know that her assumption from earlier was wrong. There wouldn't be a further rejection. But there wouldn't be a romantic relationship either.

Jane took a deep breath to calm herself. "_Yeah, I did."_ She replied honestly hoping that this wouldn't become a long talk about feelings. She was far too tired for it or to keep her self-protection upright. This might end in a fight if she wasn't careful.

Their eyes locked for a moment before Jane stood and announced that she would drive home now. Maura agreed on calling her college to set things straight and led Jane to the door.

"Good night, Maur." The brunette had used her old nickname for her on purpose to let her know that she wasn't running.

"Good night, Jane." The blonde replied acting as if she hadn't noticed but looking relieved.


	3. Chapter 3

Jane felt sore after a night of tossing and turning. First, she had cried, then she had tried to distract herself by writing reports for the case, but nothing had prohibited her from staring at her phone thinking about writing Maura a message

But what was the point? Still in a turmoil, she walked into the kitchen the next morning to find Angela reading the paper at the counter.

"_Good morning, Janie."_ Her mother said and busied herself to make breakfast.

The brunette told her that she didn't have to do that, seeing that she was a grown woman now.

"_I know."_ Angela said. "_But I want to. You're still my baby."_

Jane smirked but sat down without a further word. "_Frankie has taken Julia to teach her more ice skating_." The older woman informed her. _"Gives you a little bit of time to think."_ Jane narrowed her eyes.

"_Think about what?"_ she asked having a suspicion that Frankie had talked. Not that she was mad at him, she knew her mother had her methods to lure information out of people when feeling that something was out of the ordinary. Angela had probably played the trick with the palm of his hand on him.

Angela pretended to be surprised. "_I don't know, but I'm sure, there is something you need to think about." _the elder woman put a plate in front of Jane and eyed her daughter closely.

Jane snorted, eating her scrambled eggs in silence reading the sports part of the newspaper, before grabbing the key to her mother's car. _"I have some shopping to do."_ She mumbled, feeling pressured from all sides because of Maura.

"_By the way, how was your date yesterday?" Or do you need money? Because of sneaking out of the house late at night? You haven't changed to the dark side of law, have you?"_ Angela questioned ignoring Janes announcement to leave.

Jane turned in her footsteps glaring madly at her mother. Her lips were pursed as she thought of an answer, but then she just left the house. It took her a while of driving around Boston until she calmed down.

She spent some time at the bookshop looking for some last Christmas presents for Julia. The last thing she wanted was to make her daughter experience what she had experienced. Therefore, she made sure to let Julia know every day what a wonderful person she was and how much she loved her. A soft smile was showing when she thought of the sweet girl.

Jane had never wanted to have kids, but now she felt as if Julia was the greatest gift life could have given her.

After checking various books, she decided for "The bunny and the sun." because it sounded just like a story Julia would love. Following an impulse, she took a second copy for Sophie before heading to the thrillers to get some distraction for herself.

She sighed and settled to a cafe not ready to head home yet. She managed to find some peace in reading her new book while drinking a cappuccino when Maura suddenly stood in front of her.

"_Hey!"_ the blonde greeted friendly and sat down.

"_Hey!"_ Jane replied feeling the need to run. Instead she stayed calm, grabbing her mug. Why was it that she could never have time on her own she thought grumpy. She would have wanted some time to calm down in order to think clearly about the things bothering her.

"_I managed to convince Dr. Hon to change his report. So, you can take care of the culprit_." The blonde said after ordering some coffee to herself.

And why was it, that she kept running into Maura? Jane thought furthermore and smirked. Sure, they had rekindled their friendship a bit over the last days. But she was still angry at Maura. And they were far from being friends or even close to that at all. All they were living on right now seemed to be a bonus they got from back then. she hadn't decided yet what she wanted.

She hadn't even had the time to think about it.

"_Your mother told me that you would be here. So, I figured that I come by as I had some last gifts to shop." _Maura interrupted her thoughts and pointed to a pile of shopping bags.

Everything in Jane screamed for help. She so desperately wanted to have what they had. She longed for fooling around with the blonde, for their touches and sleepovers. But at the same time Maura's last words to her in Paris kept replaying in her mind.

Jane felt lost, and she felt betrayed. She would have sworn that their friendship would survive her honesty. But it hadn't.

She felt tired from all the people expecting things from her, for telling her what to do and what to feel. Tired and angry. Did the blonde really think that they could continue where they had left? Giving Jane space had been clever of her. And Jane was convinced that Maura didn't mean to harm her, but she needed more. An excuse and an explanation. A thorough talk about the situation… anything….

"_Are you okay, Jane?"_ Maura's voice captured her mind and it hit her then that she was crying.

"_I have to go."_ She simply mumbled and threw the money for the cappuccino on the table, grabbing her stuff and left in a hurry.

Nice, she thought. I can't go home because ma is there, and she won't leave me alone. And I can't be at the cafe. More tears were rolling down her cheek when she turned the key in the ignition. I probably look horrible so I can't be seen in any public place. She mused where she could go.

Following an idea, she took out her phone, checking for flights to New York. Could she do that to Julia who had talked about what she had planned with Uncle Frankie? She licked her lips while thinking.

"_Jane, are you sure? Maybe I can talk to ma…"_ Frankie said later when they were sitting at the dirty robber. He had agreed to meet her after dropping Julia off at Angela's.

"_I'm sure sure!"_ Jane said fiercely.

He nodded thoughtful sipping his beer. "_I would have offered you to stay at my place, but I can't even give you the closet anymore. The flat is just big enough for Nina and me. We are using the closet for her stuff now that she has moved in."_

Jane rolled her eyes when recalling the short time, she had lived with her brother and chuckled. It had been a good time she thought. _"Its fine Frankie. Please understand that its not you why I'm leaving. Its this whole situation. Ma even called Maura! She can't let me be. Next she will start about me dating men again." _she stated in a softer tone.

He sighed. _"I get it. I'm so sorry that she… well, that she can't leave you alone. I'm sorry to see you leave. Promise me to spend a nice Christmas with Julia. Okay?"_

Jane nodded as a lump had formed in her throat. _"I will."_

"_Hey"_ he called after her, when she was about to enter the airport. She was afraid to cry when turning around, but still did so.

"_I'll miss you both. I'll try to visit as soon as possible."_

The first tear fell on Janes cheek when she saw how Julia ran to hug her uncle once more.

"_Bye."_ The girl said sadly and sniffed. It broke Janes heart. Though she tried hard to hide it.

"_Come on, Julia."_ She softly said and firmly walked through the doors after reminding Frankie to make sure that Sophie got her present.

A few days later the brunette sat silently on the edge of her couch, a beer dangling loose between her legs as her right arm was resting on her thigh. She looked out of the window, seeing heavy white snowflakes dancing in the light of the streetlamp. The TV was on, but Jane didn't pay attention to the game, which was playing. She had muted the device an hour ago.

Tears were running down her cheeks, silently crying in the half darkness of her living room and she hoped that Julia was sound asleep. She didn't want her daughter to see her in this state. Jane tilted the beer and then led the bottle to her mouth.

It had been a very bad idea to go to Boston for Christmas. She hadn't had wanted to go in the first place, knowing that it would tear her down. Her family floated to her mind. Angela, who kept telling her, that she should stop the nonsense of being gay and find a man.

"_Julia needs a father."_ Her mother had pointed out during one of their rare calls. Saying that homosexuality was an illness which could be cured. Welcome to the middle ages, Jane had thought and ignored the comments. But they had hurt her. Why couldn't her mother just accept her the way she was?

"_That's why I haven't been to Boston for three years, and that's why I'm not going to come back soon!" _Jane had yelled at one point after listening to her rambling about her lifestyle for what seemed to be hours.

_Forget it!_ She mumbled to herself, whipping away angry tears, reaching for a new bottle_. Just forget it!_ She wanted to scream but didn't because she didn't want to wake Julia. And because adults didn't do that. Jane took a big sip from the beer, staring out of the window again.

_And, damn Maura!_ She thought bitter. If her mother hadn't lured her to Boston with her sweet voice pretending that she wanted to make up with Jane, she wouldn't have met the ghost at all.

And why on earth did this woman have the only child with which her daughter had bonded. Why? There had been a point where she thought they could truly rekindle their friendship, where she had thought that she could live with what Maura had to give her.

But Maura didn't seem to acknowledge the mistakes she had made and how the words of hers had hurt Jane.

It wasn't as if Jane had ever hit on her. But Maura had put it like that in Paris. Acting scared..

She would have almost accepted that there would never be more than friendship. But now it was nothing worth talking about. She would do everything that their kids could meet or talk to each other. But she would never ever let the blonde into her heart again.

Jane clenched her teeth hard, never ever, she swore, sitting alone in the halfdark room. As if to seal it she took another big sip from the bottle thinking that she would never ever let any woman into her heart again in general for that matter.

A few days later…

Jane felt angry, sad and bitter, but it still didn't escape her how silent and reclusive Julia had become in the last days since returning to New York. She had tried to talk to her about it several times. Each time, Julia would nonchalantly say, that she was fine. Like mother, like daughter she thought as she was sitting on the couch watching Julia draw.

It had been almost two weeks now, since their return from Boston. She must miss Sophie she thought. She cringed because she didn't want to call Maura. The brunette feared hearing Maura's voice. But she decided to swallow her pain for Julia's sake.

"_Do you want to call Sophie?"_ she quietly asked, earning a head tilt_. "No."_ she said with a tiny sad voice.

"_You know that even if Maura and I don't get along you can still be friends with her/them, right honey_?"

Julia kept her eyes focused on the drawing not replying which made Jane sigh_. "Come on, honey. Tell me what's wrong." _

She reached out to stroke over the brown curls, irrationally thinking, that they needed a haircut. The girl immediately withdrew herself from her mother's touch which troubled Jane. But she tried not to show it and stay calm.

"_Is it because of the fight I had with grandma?"_ she tried again.

Now, Julia looked up, puzzled then sad. Jane sighed again, slipping from the couch onto the floor to sit right next to Julia. Hoping that the girl would open, when being eye to eye with her. For a while she just sat in silence watching her draw. Handing her crayons and listening to her own heartbeat which was fast.

Jane gasped in surprise when Julia suddenly moved to her lap_. "Are you mad at me?"_ the girl asked and looked down, fidgeting with her hands.

The brunette caught another gasp before it could leave her mouth. _"No, Julia."_ She said wrapping her arms around her. "_Why should I be mad at you?"_

"_Because I made you cry."_ The girl sniffed, leaving Jane speechless and hurt. "_I hear you cry almost every night ma, when you think that I'm asleep."_

Jane tried hard to blink back her tears. _"But I'm not crying because of you, honey."_ She softly said and turned the little face to look into brown eyes who were full of pain and sorrow.

The little girl licked her lips nervously. "_I… I …. I didn't want to… it's my fault that you are sad about Maura."_ She suddenly blurted out and cried. Her tiny lips were trembling.

"_Oh Julia."_ Jane whispered and pulled the girl closer, rocking her softly. _"it's not your fault."_ She soothed her. _"And I'm not mad at you. I love you. Don't you know that?"_

The little body in her arm relaxed a bit, but Jane could feel that she was still unsure. _"Hey, you did nothing wrong. Stop thinking about it, okay?"_ she silently said, turning the girl in her lap so they were face to face, whipping away the tears with her thumbs. _"And you can still be friends with Sophie. So, if you like we can call them, all right?" _

Julia sniffed looking at Jane_. "Would you want that?"_ Jane asked softly and was relieved when her daughter finally nodded. _"I miss her."_ She whispered. The brunette smiled at her, reaching for her phone, which had got lost among the crayons on the coffee table. _"I bet you do. You've become good friends, eh?"_ she winked and started to tickle her. Julia giggled in delight, making Jane feeling better. She hugged her daughter once more before bracing herself for Maura's voice. Writing a text was not an option because it felt childish and stupid. They were grownups after all, for heaven's sake!

The blonde picked up at the fifth ring, her voice hesitating. _"Jane?"_

The brunette cleared her throat.

"_Yeah, hi. Julia wanted to have a little chat with Sophie. Is that okay?"_ she tried to sound neutral, as if she would speak to a stranger or a doctor.

There was a pause at the other end, Jane feeling as if Maura would be disappointed by her tone, but maybe it was her imagination, and she felt childish about all of her thoughts when handing the phone over to Julia after the blondes okay.

She felt the heartbeat fast in her chest after these few exchanged words and slowly calmed down when seeing Julia chatting away lightly on the phone. The brunette decided to go to the kitchen in order to prepare mac and cheese, the girl's favorite dish. She wanted to make Julia feel loved.

"_Whoaaa!"_ the girl exclaimed when they sat at the table eating dinner. "_Today is my lucky day."_ She smiled. First, I got to call Sophie and then I get mac and cheese. Jane chuckled as she watched Julia dig in. _"Thank you, ma!"_ she said with a beam in her eyes.

Jane took a few bites, trying not to poke in her food too much. She still saw a worried expression on her daughter's face, when she glanced up.

"_Don't be sad, ma."_ She said and hopped of her chair to hug Jane. The brunette had to choke back her tears and with the lump forming in her throat. The girl was really sweet.

Afterwards they settled in front of the TV to watch Frozen, and Jane breathed out deeply when Julia had fallen asleep in her lap around 10 pm. She silently moved the girl to her bed, taking out her diary. Carefully she flipped through the pages and reread her last three entries.

It had been an idea of her therapist to write down her pain and to relieve her soul from the burden which was weighting her down. Jane picked up a pen and started to write. At first, she had found it silly, but after the first few entries she thought that it was a good idea because she actually felt better after putting her pain into words. Moreover, it helped her think clearer. At least most of the time.

There were usually two main reasons why she had to use the diary: Maura and… Well… she was not going to go there. Not tonight anyways. Her neck hurt and she could feel a headache coming her way.

The TV made a small noise when she switched it off. She busied herself to clean up the mess and went to bed. Julia was already there, and Jane gingerly slipped her arm underneath the tine body and wrapped the other one around the waist.

Julia hmmmed a bit and moved into the warm arms of her mother_. "Good night honey. I love you."_ Jane whispered and let her eyes close.


	4. Chapter 4

Jane did as she had done after her last break up. Taken it day by day, busing herself with work and Julia until she felt better. With the crime rate in New York she never had to worry about having too much time to think. The days went bye, then the weeks and Boston slowly faded in her mind.

It had become a habit to let Julia call Sophie. Maura knew that it was her girl, when Janes name appeared on the display of her phone. The girls chatted two to three times a week. Julia never mentioning Maura, which made Jane wonder if the girl wanted to protect her.

Dust was already piling on the diary, when spring came around. Jane felt much better and Boston was just like a bad dream in her mind. And good thing was that one could wake up from bad dreams.

"_Next week is Sophies birthday!"_ Julia excitedly exclaimed after one of her calls. _"Can we send her a gift pleaaseee." _She asked using her dog eyes to bribe Jane. The brunette pulled up her hands as in surrender and laughed. _"Sure, honey. What do you want to give her?"_

She watched quietly as Julia contemplated, obviously not having thought so far. _"I want to send her a plush bear. She was all sad, because Mr. bear died and went to heaven."_

"_All right."_ Jane smiled and offered to pick her up after school so that they could go to the mall. _"Maybe they already have ice cream."_ She added and winked at her girl. Julia cocked her head, like she did a lot lately when thinking. _"Ice cream is not healthy."_ She said smartly. _"Okayyyy."_ The brunette said. "_Then its only ice cream for me…"_

Julia looked puzzled. "_But that's not fair."_ She squinted, glancing at her mother who chuckled.

The brunette already waited in front of the school when it was over. She was very serious about keeping promises. And seeing as it was one of the rare occasions where she had no open case, she had decided to take the afternoon off.

When arriving at the mall she wondered how many people had taken the afternoon off, seeing as how crowded it was. Neither did she know how many different plush bears there were sitting on the shelves, waiting to be adopted. Julia hopped around nervously. Not knowing which one to choose for her friend.

"_Which one would you like if it were for you, honey?"_ Jane crouched down next to her, trying to help her.

Julia looked puzzled, walking along the shelf for the 20th time at least, looking highly concentrated. Then she decided for a small brown one. _"It can't be too big."_ She told Jane with a serious face _"because we are small too."_ That was a five-year-old's logic. The brunette chuckled and took two out of the shelf, followed by Julia's questioning eyes.

"_You should have one too, honey."_ She said, knowing that apart from Christmas the girl usually only seldom asked for something. Julia started to hop again, excited. _"We will have the same bears."_ she stated beaming. "_Like twins."_

Jane rolled her eyes as she payed for the bears. Later she helped the girl wrap them up in some paper, and the bear was finally placed in a box. Jane felt touched when she saw Julia also putting in some of her sweets and drawings.

These were the moments when she felt especially proud of her kid.

The brunette checked for the caller ID when her phone rang. It was close to lunchbreak and the brunette was busy working a homicide which had come in a few hours ago. She was not sure whether to pick up when seeing that it was Maura. She did, as it was unusual for the blonde to call.

She cringed when the first things after greeting Maura she heard where some sobs. She tried to calm the woman down by using soothing words, glancing around at her colleagues who had turned to her, noticing that something was wrong.

In order to find some piece, Jane grabbed her jacket, telling her partner that she was going to take her break now. By the time she left the building to walk to a nearby park Janes heart turned to stone realizing that the blonde would not call her if something very bad had happened.

She caught herself as she stopped breathing when Maura finally calmed down and started to talk. Although she sounded very confused the brunette understood that she had wanted to pick up her girl after school, but that Sophie wasn't there. The blonde had waited for half until she had entered the building to ask the teacher, who had told her, that Sophie wasn't with her. And as it was a very shy and silence girl she hadn't noticed that and if she were missing.

Janes brain and heart started racing at the same time as a picture of the sweet, innocent girl popped up in her head.

"_Maura, listen to me."_ she said and sounded much calmer than she was at the thought of what could have happened to Sophie. _"Call Frankie, okay? I try to free myself from work to come as quick as I can."_

She hung up after Maura thanked her.

Two hours later she was on her way to Boston. She had talked to Frankie who had filled her in on the little bit of information they had so far. Jane realized that he had become a great detective and felt proud at him.

Her heart sank though when thinking about Sophie. The six-year-old was sweet and shy. From the bit she had learned about her, she was not one of the kids who ran away or lost their mind on something and would disappear for some hours. If she hadn't been there after school, it was very likely that something or someone had crossed her path.

The first hours were in general vital if a person went missing and Jane tried to focus on the next steps and tried to ignore her feelings. She trusted Frankie to do a good job, but the reason why she was driving to Boston was, that she couldn't bear if something happened to that girl. And the more hands on the deck, she thought, the better the chance to find her faster.

She pulled up the driveway of beacon hill when by the evening finding a nerve-wrecked Maura pacing the floor. Frankie was there too, taking Jane into a long hug. They hadn't seen each other since Christmas, which was three month ago.

He tilted his head and looked stern, when she looked at him, after he had released her from his arms. This meant that there was new development. Jane sighed looking out of the windows, noticing that it was about to get dark. She pushed any feelings away, once more, and listened carefully to her brother's report carefully.

"_Talk to her. She needs you."_ Frankie pressed, following her eyes to the blonde who was still pacing.

Jane nodded. She made some tea first, then wandered with the cup into the living room.

"_You're going to ruin your carpet."_ She said calmly trying to pull Maura out of her thoughts. Her tall body was leaning against the doorframe with the cup in her hand.

Maura looked up, puzzled. Jane started to walk towards her, taking her time, handing Maura the cup. This time she didn't pull her hands back when touching Maura's. They were alone in the room.

The blonde thanked her, as she took the cup and let herself drop to the couch. A deep sigh escaped her mouth. Jane sat on the other side of the couch, looking at her thinking about what to say. Frankie had told her, that Maura hadn't taken information from anyone. She had refused to talk all day. Well, she had been in the business long enough to know the options Jane thought.

"_Thanks for coming, Jane."_ The blonde finally said, eyes fixed on the cup in her hand.

She appeared calmer now, that Jane was here the brunette noted. _"We are going to find her."_ She said in a fierce tone and Maura glanced at her.

"_It is getting dark and cold."_ the blonde whispered_. "No one has called to claim money."_ Tears were falling down her cheek. Jane sub-consciously rubbed the scar on her right hand_. "Just find her please."_ The blonde quietly said. Then she swallowed hard before adding. _"Alive."_

Jane nodded and got off the couch. _"Its not so late. I'll go to visit some of her classmates with Frankie."_

And so, they did. Frankie didn't mind a second round of interrogations even though they already had talked to most of them. Jane encountered lots of emotions with the parents. Most of them looked glad that it wasn't their child, which she totally understood knowing that she would feel the same. But there was also a lot of sadness.

Parents who looked as if thinking that Sophie was already dead and parents who supported the hope.

One of Sophies classmates was very helpful. Telling them about a strange car which had circled around the school in the morning hours. Frankie looking surprised because the kid hadn't mentioned this during their earlier interview.

"_Don't worry. Its not your fault."_ Jane said as they drove away. _"Julia is the same sometimes. She often recalls events only much later. Especially in the evening, when she relaxes before bed."_

Her brother nodded, relieved because he thought that he had done something wrong. Silence lingered between them as they drove to the precinct where they would try to make the best out of the information they got.

But Jane wanted to call Julia first. She longed to hear her voice and needed to know that she was fine.

Later Frankie dropped her off at beacon hill, where she would support Maura, because the few leads which were there, could be covered by the officers from the BPD.

Jane sat on the couch watching Maura pace around the room. Only now feelings started to sift into her heart. She couldn't even imagine what it meant to know that your child is out there in the cold and dark instead of having her in the bed a few rooms down the hall.

The kid was probably scared, longing for her mother. Longing for help. And it was a bad sign for sure, that no one had called or left a message asking for ransom. She knew that she would give everything she had, just to have her daughter back if she were in the situation of Maura.

"_We are going to get her back."_ Jane repeated the words like a mantra, not only for Maura but also for herself, hoping that her words were true.

Maura stopped in her track, glaring at Jane. _"Easy for you to say if you know that your kid is safe in her bed."_ She suddenly spat.

Jane knew that the blonde was nerve-wrecked. She got it, so she said nothing to reply the allegation. She pulled out her phone and called Frankie instead. But he had no news. So, she hung up and sighed.

"_I'm going to make some coffee."_ She mumbled in order to give Maura some space. But the blonde followed her into the kitchen, keeping her allegations up. Jane trying not to listen. But there cama a point, when she couldn't hear any more of it and broke.

"_You know what Maura? Im really sorry that this happened to you. And of course, you can blame me as you want, but none of this is my fault. I lied to my boss in order to get away from work, I drove all the way up from New York, because you wanted me to. But at the end I owe you nothing. You hurt me like no one has ever hurt me before. Because I trusted you. And I thought that after all these years of friendship you would hear me out. I always thought that if my assumption that you had feelings for me too, were wrong you would at least let me down easy. But instead you threw a whole lot of bad words at me. you told me to seek for help. And you practically kicked me out of the hotel room. Then you reappear and act as if nothing ever happened. Did you believe that we could just continue being friends? That we could just sweep it under the rug? Do you have any idea how I felt? But hell, you called, and I came. And now you blame me?_" So far, Jane managed to sound calm, despite the anger raging inside of her. Maybe Sophie was the reason why she stayed mild, but no matter how bad the situation for Maura was, she felt the need to stress this.

Maura stood at the counter and still glared at Jane. The brunette looked her straight in the eyes, not willing to back away. Nor eat more of these allegations.

"_Yeah, you have always been so good Jane."_ Maura replied calm too, but the brunette could feel the thunderstorm approaching. She didn't care. She was willing to take it, as long as they finally spoke about it. Maybe then she would finally be able to find closure and peace. Maybe it would be good for both of them.

"_You were always strong, you always fought, and I couldn't because I grew up to obey and be polite. You were a rebel, getting what you wanted. You have no idea how lucky you are to have your mother. My parents were never there for me or Sophie for that matter."_

"_Oh, if you want swap parents. Fine!"_ Jane said chuckling mockingly, unable to take this seriously. Especially not after recalling last Christmas. "_You would suit better for them anyways Maura, you're a doctor, you made something out of your life.. I'm not only gay, I'm also a single mother, I'm not able to give my daughter a father like its supposed to be, nor do I possess a fancy flat because my ex left me with her depts. So, to summarize I'm a failure to them. But you would be perfect!" _

Maura narrowed her eyes, looking angry now. _"Stop acting as if you had the worst live of us all!"_ the blonde yelled in anger.

"_Stop yelling at me!"_ Jane yelled back.

They paused, glaring at each other.

"_Anything else you want to have which I have?"_ Jane asked mischievously hiding behind her coffee mug, daring Maura to let off more steam. The brunette watched as the blonde suddenly turned around to leave the room. A little bit later she heard the door of the master bedroom slam shut. She was angry again because they hadn't discussed the matter. As usual they had danced around a line.

It was then when Maura's mobile, which was still laying on the counter in the kitchen started ringing with an anonymous number.

Jane quickly informed Frankie who was waiting at the precinct, while she ran to Maura to hand her the phone.

Maura eyes widened as she took the phone and hit first the green button and then then the loudspeaker so that Jane could hear.

"_Mrs. Isles?"_ an electronic voice drifted off the device.

The brunette saw how Maura swallowed. _"Yes, speaking."_ She finally said.

"_We have your little girl. And she is very unhappy."_ The voice said and paused_. "You can have her back if you pay us five million Dollars in cash._"

"_Can I speak to her?"_ Maura said and saw how Jane started signing that she needed to keep the conversation going by drawing circles into the air with her index finger, constantly checking on her phone the time of the conversation. She knew that the technicians would at least need two minutes, and they had only thirty seconds so far.

The voice first denied, but Maura kept pushing, stating that she needed a proof. The voice told her that she would hear her daughter, then they would hang up and come back to her tomorrow with more information as to where to put the money.

Maura panicky looked at Janes display, seeing that it was only one minute.

Jane nodded, so Maura agreed. They heard some shuffling sounds, footsteps, a door which was cracked opened. The blonde's hands showed white knuckles for holding the phone so tight. Jane felt how sweat ran down her own back.

Then they suddenly heard Sophies voice. _"Mum?"_

"_Yes, darling, its me. Are you okay? Have you eaten?"_

"_Mum, I want to come home. Please."_

"_I know honey. I will get you home. I promise."_

Jane was glad that Maura managed to sound so firm and determined. Before she could say more though the line went dead. It had been almost two minutes. The brunette picked up, as Frankie immediately called. She watched how Maura sunk into herself, trembling, crying.

"_Please tell me that it was long enough."_ She muttered dropping to the bed next to Maura.

"_It wasn't. the only thing we managed to find out was that it's a prepaid. But not the cell tower it pinged off. Sorry Jane."_

The brunette took a deep breath. The thing with the prepaid was no surprise. She thanked him, knowing that Nina would immediately analyze the background noises and everything else at that matter from the tape. There was no need to ask for it. And she knew that if there was something, Nina would find it.

She reached out her hand to rub Maura's back, thinking.

To her surprise the blonde suddenly turned to her and spoke. _"I'm sorry for what I said Jane. In Paris and in the kitchen earlier. You are right, I should have let you down nicer. And I shouldn't have assumed that we could all sweep it under the rug. And you're right, I called, and you were there. Because even after all the shit, you still care. That's what I always loved about you."_

The brunette couldn't help but gasp at the unexpected apology. One she had thought a few minutes ago would never come.

"_You were my best friend_, Jane." She continued_, "and I was afraid and overwhelmed. I can't really explain it to you. Not now anyways. But I would be glad if you gave me the chance one day when I can."_

Jane rubbed the bridge of her nose, nodding. This was not the time for long discussions about it anyways she thought. First, they had to bring Sophie home.


	5. Chapter 5

Jane sighed and took Maura's hands into hers. She felt the sweaty palms and saw the sad eyes_. "I'm scared, Jane"_ she whispered. The brunette pulled her into a hug_. "I know, Maur. I know. But we have the best people working on it. They will find something."_

Maura hesitantly replied the hug, crying silently in her arms, as Jane kept rubbing her back and pulling her close. Only letting go, when her phone rang.

She picked up and heard Amelia's voice. She started to worry about Julia, but Amelia just wanted to let her know, that Julia had woken up to a nightmare and ased to speak to her. Then she handed the phone to the girl.

"_Ma?"_ Julia sounded unsettled and scared.

"_Right here, honey. Amelia said you had a nightmare. Wanna talk about it?" _she questioned with a soft voice as she lifted from the bed, pacing.

"_I dreamt of Sophie. She wanted to tell me something, but I couldn't understand her."_ Julia's tiny voice reached her ear and made her shiver.

"_She wants me to help her, but I can't."_ Julia continued. Jane stopped and stood still. She had heard of such things, but never believed in this stuff. She glanced at Maura who watched her closely.

She wanted to ask Amelia if she had said something because then it would make sense that Julia dreamt of Sophie. But if Julia didn't know and dreamt of her it could quite mean something. On the other hand, she of all people knew that sometimes there was more than just facts. Jane sighed thinking of all the times her gut had helped her to solve a case.

Jane pursed her lips and put Julia on loudspeaker, signing Maura to be silent.

"_You need to go and help ma! She needs you!"_ Julia said in a convinced tone.

"_Julia, it was just a dream. Calm down. Some dreams can be very real." _Jane wanted to sooth her a little before asking some questions.

"_NO!"_ Julia almost screamed_. "Sophie is wearing a yellow shirt and blue jeans. She says she needs help! We can't wait."_

Jane saw how Maura froze at the description of Sophies clothes. "_Honey, tell me exactly what you have seen okay? I will check then."_

"_I told you, I can't remember everything_." The girl was close to tears again.

"_That's okay, honey. Tell me what you remember."_

There was a pause to the conversation before Julia spoke up again. _"Sophie was in a dark room. But I could still see the wall. There were green tiles, like in the room where I had to wait for my operation for the almond surgery. So, I thought it was strange. Is Sophie going to be okay, ma?"_

Jane told her that she was going to check for Sophie but needed all the information Julia could give her. Julia seemed relieved to be taken serious and Jane picked up Maura's phone texting Frankie everything she learned over the next minutes. Then she sat down back to the bed, trying to sooth her child telling her that she would check everything now and that she had to hang up.

She felt a cold shiver running down her body as Maura confirmed that Julia had described Sophies clothes from today up to the very last detail.

"_Let's hope this is real."_ Jane mumbled getting off the bed again to call Frankie. He sounded stressed and she could hear parts of the conversation between Maura and the abductor replay in the background.

"_We're closing in Jane. Nina heard some honks from ships, and there is a bell from a church."_ He said and asked her about the source of her information. She hesitated as she could hardly believe it herself, but then told him. The brunette could hear him breathe on the other end of the line.

"There is actually an abandoned hospital in the grid we believe the call came from." He noted and Jane started to have one of her feelings in her gut that they had just found the place where Sophie was being kept.

When she hung up, Maura stared at her with wide eyes. Jane hesitated, not sure if she better stayed or joined the forces.

"_Go Jane!"_ the blonde woman said, and Jane nodded. She had no jurisdiction in Boston, she knew that. If she should use her weapon, she would get huge problems. But this was a kid in danger, and she didn't care. This was Sophie.

"_I'll bring her home."_ She promised and the blonde nodded. _"Jane?"_ the brunette turned once more when Maura called after her as she was already heading out of the room. _"Yeah?"_

"_Thank you."_

The brunette nodded, a determined look on her face, holding out her hand, inviting Maura to come.

They rushed through empty streets. The clock on the dashboard showing one am. It was 1:05 when they slowly drove towards the lost place. Jane parked behind Frankie's car, taking out her Kevlar vest from the trunk and putting it on as Frankie laid out the plan to her.

Maura glanced at her worried, like she had always done. "Take care." She whispered softly and Jane nodded. She followed the swot team into the building while Maura stayed in the car where she could listen to the police radio.

Jane was right behind Frankie, weapon in her hand, recalling how they had once searched Maura in an abandoned asylum. She glanced at the walls which wore old and new spray paintings. The messages dirty as were the walls. They stopped to read old signs pointing to the different stations and took a turn to the left towards the OR's.

They stopped and listened, and Jane could hear muffled voices from a room down the hall. Frankie turned to her and she nodded that she had heard it too. He gave signs to some officers to advance towards the noises.

Then suddenly everything went fast. Jane let the other ones go in in front of her. Three men were sitting at a table playing cards. It was easy to catch them. Meanwhile Jane walked towards a door and opened it, finding Sophie on a dirty mattress in a room with green tiles.

She decided to process this later. Sophie flew into her arms when recognizing her and Jane pulled her tight. _"Its okay, Sophie. You're safe now. Your mum is waiting outside."_

The brunette lifted her up after checking for any injuries, and then quickly walked out of the building to her car where Maura was pacing. The blonde lifted her eyes from the ground when she heard footsteps coming closer. Jane could literally see how Maura lightened up when she saw Sophie in her arms.

She silently handed the girl to her mother, who shot her a short but grateful look before taking care of Sophie.

Jane nodded to her, smiling as she felt relieved by the ending of this abduction. "_Frankie we re bringing her to the hospital to have her checked_" she spoke into her walkie talkie then she opened the door for them and slipped behind the wheel. Maura sat in the back with Sophie, the girl clinging to her, still scared. Maura was constantly repeating that she was safe now and holding her close.

Jane pulled her eyes from the rear-view-mirror onto the street and called Amelia. The student picked up immediately. _"I have told her nothing!"_ she said after asking if they had found Sophie. Jane stated that she believed her, questioning if Julia was still awake.

Amelia handed the phone over to her daughter. Jane bit her lips when she heard the scared voice. Even though she had given a thought what to say to her girl beforehand, the words eluded her now.

"_Sophie is fine Julia."_ She simply said deciding to explain the rest later. And as if Sophie wanted to let her friend know that she was okay, she leaned forward and said two words. _"Thank you."_

The brunette couldn't help but feel chills running down her body. Julia suddenly yawned and said. _"Hell, I'm tired. I need to sleep now."_

Jane chuckled as more relieve washed over her and saw Maura grinning kind of amused, locking eyes with her in the mirror. Jane quickly rolled her eyes and then focused on the street again.

After a thorough check up by some doctors, they were thankful to learn, that Sophie hadn't been hurt nor touched in any impropriate manner. Then they drove to beacon hill, feeling tired now too.

It was already four o'clock in the morning when Jane laid down in the guestrooms bed, immediately falling asleep. Sophie was home unhurt. That was all that mattered right now. But she would have to do some processing later for sure. Especially about Julia's dream.

She had no idea when it had happened, but when she woke up a few hours later she was confused because of the tiny body in her arms. Not quite awake she believed it to be Julia. But then she felt another body shift in the bed and saw Maura turning towards her, a crooked smile on her face.

"_She came to me and said we should sleep here, because this is the only safe place."_ She tried to apologize, looking worried that the brunette would be mad. _"she kept rolling from me to you and back."_

Jane felt the warmth of the girl and heard the deep breath. She smiled at Maura. _"Its okay. Its good that she sleeps."_

Maua nodded, mentioning that she would get up and make breakfast leaving Jane behind who was wondering what time it was.

The brunette felt Sophie slowly stirring in her long arms as she woke up. _"Ms. Rizzoli?"_ she asked with a sleepy voice making sure, that her shield was still there.

"_I'm here."_ She softly said and added that she should call her Jane.

The girl nodded and cringed when Jane was about to loosen the arms around her. By the time Maura reentered the room with two cups of coffee she found Sophie giggling in joy because Jane tickled her merciless.

Jane stopped to let her take some breathes and reached for the offered cup. The coffee was just how she liked it. With cream and a bit of sugar.

Maura slipped back into the bed, taking a sip before putting the mug onto the nightstand. Jane looked at her wide eyed as the blonde had been strictly against bringing food out of the living room or kitchen area. And surly not into the bedrooms.

She saw how the blonde shrugged and smiled. They spent some more time in bed, making sure that Sophie felt safe. They took it as a sign that she was, when she demanded pancakes with lots of sirup.

She would have a long way ahead to get over what had happened to her, Jane thought. Like Maura and she had a long way ahead of them, if they wanted to make this work again. But she hoped that everybody would succeed in the end.

Julia picked up when she called after Maura and Sophie had left the room to give her some privacy. She smiled as her daughter told her all smart, that she didn't have to school today because she had worked all night like her ma.

"_Yes, and you really did a great job, honey."_ Jane said honestly. Then Jane listened to Julia for some more while. She hung up after some more talking and found a pile of pancakes when entering the kitchen.

"_Sophie said you need to be fed well."_ Maura said and shrugged, still looking a bit worried about Janes reaction for them sleeping in the same bed.

Jane passed her on the way to the coffee machine shooting a quick glance towards Sophie who was busy creating a sea of sirup on her own plate. When sure that the girl wasn't looking, she quickly squeezed Maura's hand and bend down to whisper what she thought. _"Maybe we can find a way to rekindle our friendship, but you will have to talk to me."_

Maura looked at her and nodded, before Jane let go of the hand to make herself more coffee.

A loud giggle escaped Sophie when Jane also soaked her pancake pile in sirup. Maura just rolled her eyes as she dug into her sugar free muesli with fat reduced yoghurt.

But even though Sophie appeared lighthearted she never left the brunettes site. When it was time for Jane to go home, the girl started to panic and cry.

When the brunette tried to talk to her she wouldn't have it. Sophie was close to a panic attack and Jane could feel her.

She hesitated. When Sophie ran into her room, she said to Maura: _"You could come with me. but as I said my flat isn't quite big. But maybe it would help her, and we could talk?"_

Leaving the girl behind seemed to be cruel to her. _"Just a few days till she calms down."_

Maura gave her a surprised look_. "Yeah, It would make things easier for her. And I don't mind a small flat. But I'm not sure I can talk yet." _Maura's eyes were dark and unreadable.

Jane nodded, watching Maura walk down the hall biting her lips. She tried to convince herself not to expect too much. First, this was to help Sophie who needed Jane to feel safe. But she still hoped that they would talk and clear things up between them eventually.

A few minutes later Sophie came darting down towards her, a wide grin on her face. She jumped right into Janes arms who laughed softly and lifted her up.

One hour later the brunette took two suitcases into the trunk of her car. She was glad when they finally arrived at her home. And when she opened the door to a happy Julia, she was even gladder. She silently thanked god, that her girl was so easy going.

She crouched down and pulled her girl into a hug while she glanced at Maura who was just standing and looking around. The brunette tried not to feel ashamed, when seeing her own flat with Maura's eyes. It was tiny, the walls were not dirty, but one could see that this was an old building by some tiny cracks showing in some corners.

There was a small hallway, leading to the bathroom, Julia's and the master bedroom to the left. At the end of the hall one entered the kitchen which was open to the living area on the right.

"_Its cozy."_ Maura said and smiled at Jane, who knew that this was far below the blonde's usual standards. Therefore, she didn't know if the blonde was just polite or serious.

Amelia interrupted her thoughts, when appearing from the kitchen. Jane introduced her to Maura and both shook hands. _"I'm going to leave you to yourselves."_ The student said, winking at Jane. _"I cooked some Chinese food for later."_

Maura and Jane thanked her, both smiling at the young woman.

Sophie still clung to her. Therefore, she was sitting with one girl on her left side, and with one on her right side, watching frozen for the umptieth time in her live, while Maura unpacked the suitcases.

"_I will put on new sheets later, then you can sleep in the bedroom."_ She said quietly, when Maura dropped onto the couch on the other side of Sophie.

The blonde looked as every bit exhausted as Jane felt and just stated that Jane didn't need to.

Jane did as promised with the help of Julia and Sophie who managed to put the covers of the pillows on to the wrong side, although retrying several times. Jane tickled them as punishment and then explained Maura what to find were and handed her a towel.

The blonde went to shower first, and when Jane came out of the bathroom with wet hair later, she found Maura sitting in Julia's bed reading a book to the girls. The brunette took some time and stood at the doorframe taking in the scene. Maua had wrapped her arms around them and their heads were resting on her upper body in a way that they could look at the pictures while she read out loud.

It felt like a very intimate moment to Jane when she tucked her girl in. Jane shyly crouched next to Julia's bed, like Maura did on the other side. Their eyes crossed each other for a brief moment and pulled away quickly then. The girl with the dark curls hugged Jane and gave her a kiss to the cheek before dropping onto the pillow.

Jane softly caressed her head, like she always did, kissing the top of her head. _"Good night my angel. I love you."_ She whispered before handing her the teddy bear and pulling up the sheets.

Maura appeared to have a similar ritual. Afterwards they silently left the room and wandered off to the couch.

Jane flipped between channels, her feet comfortably resting on the coffee table in front of her, while Maura sat in a respectful distance, feet tucked under herself glass of wine in her hand. The blonde looked tired and thoughtful. It had been a long night, and they had gotten only four hours of sleep.

The brunette stopped at some gameshow, glancing at Maura who didn't seem to mind, being occupied by her thoughts anyways. Jane was glad to have the next days off from work. Since she had never taken her holidays or sick leave the boss had easily agreed on her request when she had called in earlier that day. Besides the case she had left behind in a hurry seemed to be solved anyways.

Tomorrow was Sophies birthday, and after all that had happened it had to be celebrated bigger than usual, she thought, having a plan in mind. If the weather was nice, she would take the kids to the funfair, which was in town. Besides spring holidays were around the corner. She had already taken off the next week to spend Julia's school holidays at home.

She took a sip of her cold beer and reflected on Maura's apologize which had been honest. It felt good for her at least to have spoken some of the things which had been bothering her. She had been okay with sharing a bed with the two blondes, because she knew that the abduction had to be hard on Sophie. And that Sophie had needed them both for the night.

Maura seemed to be happy, but Jane could feel some jealousy too, because Sophie clung to her more than to herself. Well, it had been Jane who had found her, in the girls mind she was the superhero, with the gun. A role which she refused. Like when she had gotten her reward for shooting herself. To her it was only doing her job.

Her therapist had once asked her if she would act the same, nowadays that she had a daughter. This question still troubled her to be honest. Her reason for shooting herself had been to safe Frankie and Maura. Frankie had scolded her when they once talked about it. Stating that she shouldn't have done that, because she could have died. And he didn't want her to die for him. He claimed that if she had asked him, he would have said so.

But on the other hand, he had admitted that he would have done the same, if he had been in her shoes. Jane rubbed over the scars Hoyt had left on her hands. She knew that she would die for anybody whom she loved. But she wasn't as reckless as she had been, she knew that. She didn't step up to the front row as she used to. But some dangers came with her job and she had to take them.

"_Does it hurt?"_ Maura asked, interrupting her thoughts. Jane looked up and saw soft eyes glancing at the palms of her hands.

"_I think the weather is about to change."_ She mumbled and turned back to the TV.


	6. Chapter 6

After a good night's sleep – with Jane on the couch, leaving her bed to Maura – and a decent breakfast the four were headed off to the funfair. Julia and Sophie were talking excitedly on the backseat, while Jane and Maura stayed silent.

Earlier Julia had given Sophie the box with the teddy bear. It had been a true surprise and the little blonde loved it. She decided to call him Mr. Snook.

The brunette had to chuckle when Julia talked smartly about her last years' experience and she had to roll her eye when Julia proudly announced that she had eaten so much that she had had to puke when coming home.

"_Well honey, that's not going to happen this year, right?"_ her eyes darted to meet the girl's eyes who gave her standard reply. _"Whatever_" which made Jane smile so that her dimples showed.

Because of being early they managed to find a parking lot close to the entrance and everybody hopped out of the car. Julia who immediately spotted a carrousel with horses put on some doggy eyes and used her usual pleaaaaaaase which she had learned from Sophie to bribe the adults to let her ride with it.

A few minutes later she and Julia were sitting on the carousel screaming in joy of the ride. Jane admired the simplicity of making kids happy as she took some pictures with her phone. Maura was standing on the other side of the carousel doing the same. The kids were waving when passing by.

Jane felt Sophie tugging on her coat while Maura had gone to use the bathroom. She crouched down to be eye to eye with the girl who hugged her.

"_Thank you for taking me_. _That's the best birthday present ever!"_ the blonde kid said and gave her a wet kiss. Jane blushing in surprise smiled. "Its my pleasure." She said and wondered as the girl stayed in her arms. Maybe she just needed to feel safe Jane thought and spread her arms to take Julia into the hug as well.

"_Don't be mad a mum, she loves ya."_ Sophie suddenly whispered. Jane, by surprise, didn't know what to reply. She just sucked in some breath. _"She talks about you a lot. Sometimes before bed she tells me about your adventures and then she laughs and cries at the same time."_ Sophie elaborated further seeing Janes puzzled eyes.

Jane didn't see why this could possibly mean that Maura loved her in a romantic way, like Sophie obviously tried to indicate. Although feeling flattered and surprised that Maura mentioned her to her daughter on a regular basis. She was just about to brush it off, seeing the blondes elegant figure walk towards them, when Sophie said one last sentence which made goosebumps rise on her entire body.

"_Dad said that she of all people must understand him, as she loves you just like he loves Peter. And I saw them kissing!"_ Sophies eyes were glaring fiercely as she pulled away from Jane leaving her dumbfounded.

"_Is something wrong?"_ Maura asked as she saw the strange expression on Janes face. The brunette tilted her head and put on a crooked smile. "_Nope, we are fine."_

She saw Sophie shooting her a smart look, before the lots of them moved on to their next station. Janes mind was trying to season Sophies information and if there was something to it, while the girls busied themselves throwing balls at cans. Maura tried to help while Jane stood aback looking at her.

Jane suddenly felt a hand tipping to her shoulder. When she turned, she saw herself confronted with her worst fears. Another tall woman with blonde hair was facing her with a grin. _"Janie, I didn't know that you would be here too."_ She said with a smirk when glancing over to Maura who was just explaining to Julia that she should hit the lowest row of the cans first. Jane knew that this was a flat lie, as she came to the fun fair with Julia every year.

The brunette saw interest flaming up in the woman's eyes. _"It didn't take you long to replace me."_ the tall woman said, clicking with her tongue. Standing far too close to Jane for her own taste.

"_Chris, I really don't see why this should be any of your business."_ Jane stated and tried to sound matter of factly.

"_We've been together for a while.."_ she said as if their two years together would empower her to decide about Janes life. _"At least until you threw me out._" Chris said with a snarly voice.

Jane knew that this woman was a real psycho, and that there would be no sense in setting the woman straight, that in fact she had left her with most of her debts.

"_Just leave us alone."_ Jane growled in a warning tone suddenly feeling Maura's presence behind her.

"_Oh come on Jane. You can at least be so polite to introduce us to each other."_ Chris voice sounded sweet and almost made the brunette sick.

It was the blonde who stepped in, both kids clinging to her feet in fear. "_Jane, honey. Julia needs to go to the bathroom. Let's go."_

Then she grabbed the brunette's hand and dragged her away. Jane walked along as their fingers entwined and wondered for how long Maura had been standing there and what she had heard.

As it was already late they silently walked to Janes car, only releasing each other's hand when the brunette pulled the door open for Maura. Jane was sure, that Chris hadn't followed them and tried to understand why Mura hadn't let go of her hand sooner. Sophies words from earlier popped up in her mind.

"_Can you drive?"_ the blonde asked, looking worried to Janes angry and pale face.

"_Yeah, no problem."_ Jane said acting cool as she buckled the seatbelt of the kids.

"_You've been awful silent this whole evening."_ Maura quietly said, handing her a beer. The kids had gone to bed after some more games with the blonde and eating dinner and cupcakes. And Jane who had assumed that Maura was sound asleep had settled to her own bed on the couch.

Now she pulled her feet closer to clear some space for Maura to sit. Yeah, she had been silent, thinking. Not about Chris but about the other blonde woman who accepted the offer and sat down. The woman who had held her hand and given Jane a taste of what it would feel like to be with her. Moreover, she had been thinking about testing Maura with small brushes here and there. Or maybe to hit the matter right away. But that usually led to the blonde defending herself and denying.

Jane stretched out her legs to rest them on Maura's thighs, glancing at her reaction. The blonde was clearly surprised at this behavior and started giving her feet a massage.

"_So, I met your last girlfriend ha?"_ the blonde was not stating but fishing.

"_Yeah, how much did you witness?"_ Jane asked taking a sip from the bottle not leaving her eyes off Maura.

"_I'm afraid that I heard almost everything._" The blonde said, pulling her eyes to her hands which were kneading Janes right foot.

"_How long have you been together?"_ she asked after a while.

"_2 years."_ Jane replied honestly. "_We broke up about 10 months ago."_ She answered Maura's next question.

Silence started to spread, before Maua spoke up again. _"I've been divorced for approximately one year now."_

Jane took in the information.

Maua nodded, looking sad.

"_Do you miss him?"_ the brunette silently asked, knowing that she was the one fishing now.

The blonde took a deep sigh, tilting her head**. "No."** she said. _"Not as much as I've missed you after you were gone."_ She whispered making Jane spill out her beer.

There was another long pause between them. Each trying to wrap her mind around what had been said so far.

"_Can I ask you something, Maur?"_ Jane asked gingerly. And continued when the blonde nodded.

"_What happened in Paris? I know you have a hard time talking about it. But hell, just spill it! I need to understand.."_

Maura stopped the massage. Jane could literally see the wheels in her mind turning until she finally spoke.

"_I freaked out. And I have a hard time talking about it because I'm ashamed of how I treated you and most of all about what I said. I would rather forget it or hope that the earth opens and swallows me." _Her voice a whisper, and a lump was forming in Janes throat when she took in the words.

"_Of course, I know that all the touches and sleepovers were not normal for a friendship. And I have known for a long time that I had feelings for you."_ Jane raised an eyebrow hearing this confession, baffled.

"_But I was always scared. I am still afraid to be honest."_

"_Why on earth does friendship feel safer to you than a relationship?"_ Jane asked after picking up her jaw. She just didn't get it. They had lost their frienship already, if that had been Maura's biggest fear like hers at that time.

Maura started fidgeting with her hands, nervously licking her lips. _"Because, Jane…. Because you jumped off that bridge and you shot yourself. And I was scared to lose you to this job in general. And irrationally I thought that if we were together, you would push more boundaries to have me happy and safe. I couldn't do that."_ A tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly whipped it away, not daring to look for the chocolate brown eyes, which were staring at her in disbelief.

Jane started to rub the bridge of her nose. Hearing about the bridge slowly drove her wild. Well, she had had many talks about it with her therapist already. She now saw how scary and painful it must have been for the ones who loved her. But this was back then, before she had learned that there were people loving her and that she didn't exactly need the security of the job to feel like doing something right and she told Maura so in a gentle tone.

"_Look Jane, I can't blame you. Not even 24 hours ago I was happy that you were willing to risk your live to protect whom you love. I would be a hypocrite to now tell you that its wrong."_

Jane chuckled softly, seeing the irony to this point_. "Yeah, well, if it helps you, my therapist taught me to consider if I have other options first, before stepping over the railing of a bridge again."_

Maura gave her a wry smile. "_You know what? It doesn't matter to me. As I said, I would be a hypocrite…. I want to… I mean, uhm, Jane would you go out on a date with me?"_ she asked shyly.

Jane felt a flutter in her stomach. _"A date huh?"_ she asked, unsure to have gotten that right.

Maura playfully slapped her_. "come on."_ She said laughing.

Janes face spread into a wide grin_. "How could I say no? I would be very stupid."_

"_You would definitely miss out on something."_ Maura still laughed and purred at the same time.

After the talk Jane felt relieved. A comfortable silence started to linger between them as they relaxed.

Jane waited patiently for Maura to leave the bedroom. Amelia was already busying herself in the kitchen to prepare dinner for the kids.

The brunette looked down to herself. She wore a Jean and a whine red hoody as the blonde had requested casual wear for tonight's date. Jane had been curious since, also feeling nervous. It hadn't occurred to her, that they could make it so formal as to go out together. But she reasoned that it made perfect sense.

In order to distract herself she wandered into the kitchen area and sat at the counter to watch in awe how skilled Amelia was when it came to cook. The student kept repeating how much she loved it. At the beginning Jane had felt like she was exploiting her. But it had become tradition that Amelia left a shopping list for grocery, to then cook a meal for Julia and Jane every day.

Maura finally appeared in the kitchen a few minutes later. To Janes surprise she wore some blue jeans too and a blouse which wasn't quite as casual but very sexy. _"Ready?"_ she asked glancing to Amelia who smiled at them.

"_Hell yeah. Since about one hour or so."_ Jane rolled her eyes playfully and earned a soft nudge to her side. Initially she had wanted to say: I've been ready for years, but she had bitten the comment back, scared that it wouldn't come out as the joke it had been intended.

She felt Maura brush her waist with her hands innocently, when she passed to get to her shoes.

"_So, where do you take me?"_ Jane asked in excitement when grabbing her keys.

"_Uh I'm not ready to tell you yet, but I think you will like it."_ Maura chuckled, walking through the door which Jane had opened for her.

"_You will have to tell me cuz I drive."_ The brunette spoke triumphantly when boarding the elevator.

Maura chuckled again. _"Nope. We are taking my families limousine."_

"_Well and I thought it would be all casual."_ Jane said cheekily.

The dark car was already waiting for them, when they left the building. James, the chauffeur opened the door whispering to Maura that he had it all organized.

Once inside, Jane glanced around. This was her first time in a limousine, and she had to admit that it was quite fancy and nice. The saying was that clothes made people; a limousine definitely made you feel like a star she thought looking for the bar. Not that she wanted to drink something, hell who knew what Maura had in mind, so she wanted to stay sober, but she wanted to see it to have a complete picture of the limousine.

Maura quietly sat next to her with a slight smile on her face, giving the brunette time to observe everything. And Jane heard her laugh, when she had finally found the bar, which was containing so much alcohol that one could easily mix every cocktail from each card of each cocktail bar in town.

"_I hope you like my idea."_ Maura said, when they stood in front of the batting cage. Janes eyes were gleaming when recognizing how thoughtful Maura had been when planning the date.

First, she was to hit a few balls, while Maura was standing at the cage following her every move. Then it was the blondes turn. Jane had a feeling that the blonde did it on purpose, when she didn't hit one ball right and grinned. That woman was really clever.

After a "_Jane, can you show me the proper technique?"_ the brunette entered the cage again and took the bat out of the blonde's hand, showing her how to hold it right. She somehow still felt shy on touching her. But she finally worked up her nerves and first helped Maura close her fingers around the bat in the right way. She slightly shivered when their hands touched and had a hard time to focus as some butterflies started to fly around her stomach.

Then she softly grabbed Maura's waist to show her how to stand correctly. Standing behind the blonde, she could smell her sweet scent. When she hit the start button to the throwing machine Maura did much better than before. Unfortunately, the blonde once ducked, scared by a ball which was going really fast and Jane ended up by seeing stars.

She felt how Maura stabilized her with her hands, apologizing. Jane couldn't help but start to laugh, although it hurt like hell_. "It's broken, isn't it?"_ she asked Maura pointing with her finger to her nose.

"_I'm afraid so."_ Maura said and looked guilty.

"_Ah, don't blame yourself."_ Jane tried to make Maura feel better.

Maura seemed to be relieved. She cupped Janes face to have a closer look to the damage explaining that it was broken indeed.

"_Can you fix it?"_ Jane asked with a crocked grin.

"_Sure, but…"_

"_its going to hurt. I know."_ Jane said bracing herself for the pain, which was to come, when Maura did fix it as asked.

Thank god the bar in the limo also had ice. Maura helped Jane to keep it on the right spot, taking out two tampons of her purse shoving them into the nose, to stop the bleeding. She offered the brunette to go home, but Jane refused. She didn't want the evening to end. Besides the nose felt better after the treatment with the ice.

And by the time they had reached the sushi bar, the bleeding was gone too. Jane couldn't resist but put her hand to Maura's lower back when she went into the restaurant ahead of her. The waiter shot her a strange look, when asking what they wanted to drink and Jane remembered the tampons. She took them out quickly, grinning at the thought of the sight she must have been to the poor waiter.

They ordered some beer and sushi and talked while waiting for the food.

"_Can I ask you something?_" Maura questioned, glancing at Jane, who had the feeling that this was going to be unpleasant for her.

"_Sure."_ She said blinking at the blonde.

"_You never wanted to have kids. How come you got one?"_

Jane who had expected that question carefully swallowed and locked eyes with Maura. She's gotten that question from some people and usually told them that it had just happened. Only few of them knew the truth.

"_I've been working a case."_ She quietly started and told Maura how she had ended up in a dark cull de sack. Her partner that asshole had left her alone, following another lead. She felt Maura reaching for both of her hands, holding them tight when Jane told her slowly that the culprit had been hiding there and raped her. _"He had a taser. And when I woke up, I was alone."_ She shrugged, but she saw how Maura's hazel eyes mirrored her pain.

"_Oh my god Jane. I'm so sorry."_ she whispered, and Jane nodded, finally pulling her eyes away, focusing on their hands.

"_Its okay. See, today I have this beautiful girl which wouldn't be here otherwise. She brings so much joy to my life."_

Maura nodded. "_She's the sweetest girl ever. And she's just so much like you."_

Jane grinned although not sure if this was a compliment. It felt like a compliment in some way. _"Yeah. I don't know exactly if that's good, but she is my angel. Sophie is adorable too though."_

The blonde gave a chuckle. _"Yes. I'm happy to have her."_ Both sat in silence until Jane dared to ask about her father. Maura replied that it was her ex-husband.

When their food arrived, they let go of each other's hands and started to discuss lighter subjects during their meal.

Jane came to think in a pause of their conversation. She felt somehow glad, that one of the hardest topics was off the table now. And that no further discussion had occurred about it. To her this incident was in the past. It was part of her and would never leave her. But she had accepted it and having Julia the best that had happened to her.

She remembered the hours she had spent discussing the whole thing with her therapist. How being raped had broken her perception of being strong. Not invincible, Jane had never believed to be invincible, but she had never assumed that such a thing could happen to her because she wore a badge and a gun and worked out on a regular basis. That had been her biggest mistake.

Also, the fact that she was used to protect others, but couldn't protect herself had troubled her for a long time. She had realized along the way, that she had never allowed anybody else to protect her anyways because it made her feel weak. She had always had a hard time accepting other people help, for she didn't want to be a burden to others or felt ashamed if she couldn't solve her own problems.

Some emotions which had been planted in her during her childhood by her parents and her classmates.

The therapist had done a good job in helping her see and understand many things she hadn't been aware off and she was grateful for it.

Maura had always protected her big time… without her knowing at first, but by the time she had realized it, it was okay. She had accepted and loved Maura for it. That was one of the reasons why Maura's reaction in Paris had been so confusing to her. But although the blonde's explanation appeared to be weird at first, it made total sense to Jane.

She had given it a lot of thought over the last days. First thinking that it was total nonsense to assume that she would be even more willing to risk her live if they were a couple, but Maura had gotten a point there. She would in fact have been more protective, if possible.

Fear was always irrational, and this didn't spare Maura Isles obviously. Although she was the most logic person Jane knew on this planet.

She couldn't help but notice how different they were at certain points. The perspective of soon being apart had made her confess her feelings to Maura, while it had made the blonde run away. Both had acted out of a fear to lose each other. But instead of saying it clear, which would have been better, they had chosen ways which had only brought them apart.

Jane quietly glanced to Maura who was just dipping a piece of sushi into the soy sauce. The blonde looked up and raised an eyebrow. _"Are you okay, Jane?"_ she asked and made Jane realize that she had a thoughtful and stern look.

"_Yeah, I just got lost in some thoughts. That's all."_ She said and smiled.

"_Do you want to talk about it?"_

"_Naw, I'm fine."_ It was the truth. Jane tried to steal a sushi from Maura's plate and chuckled when Maura put up a fight with the chopsticks to defend her food. She on the other side was far more experienced and managed to steal from Jane who growled playfully.

"_Just wanted to show you how its done."_ Maura teased and wiggled her eyebrows.

After finishing their dessert which consisted of ice cream, the brunette leant back, feeling as if she would explode from too much food. Maura gave the same impression when she started rubbing over her belly.

They decided to have a walk in order to help the digestion. The air was fresh and nice, and Jane loved the smell which usually hung in the air in spring. They were walking in silence for a while and the brunette smiled when she felt Maura's hand brush hers. It was a soft touch which unleashed more butterflies in her stomach, especially when it was repeated several times either from her or from Maura's side.

At one point she caught Maura's hand and their fingers entwined, so that they walked hand in hand until they felt cold and the blonde called James to pick them up.

They joked all the way home but became shy again, when reaching Janes apartment.

"_Thank you for this evening."_ Maura said softly, lifting to the tips of her toes to plant a gentle kiss on Janes cheek.

She smiled at Maura and squeezed the blondes hand answering that it had been a pleasure.

The blonde glanced at her swollen nose and apologized once more, which made Jane chuckle. _"Its going to be fine. I survived worse."_ She winked with an eyebrow. If at all it was her who should Maura for planning the perfect date.

Like teenagers they stood in front of the bedroom when time came to say good night, just looking at each other, smiling like fools. Finally laughing about their own behavior.

"_Good night, Maur."_ Jane said and kissed the blonde on the cheek.

"_Good night, Jane."_ The blonde said, replying the gesture.


	7. Chapter 7

The following day started slow. It was raining outside and as Julia and Sophie were still allowed to stay at home instead of going to school, it felt like holidays already.

"_What happened to your nose, ma?"_ Julia asked looking bewildered when seeing the swollen thing in her face. It hurt like hell, but Jane tried not do show it. _"I got hit by a ball yesterday, honey."_ She replied, seeing how a blushing Maura entered the kitchen, dressed in a golden silk pajama and a dressing gown. Jane swallowed, noticing how gorgeous the blonde woman was without makeup and her disheveled hair. It hit her, that for the first time, it felt okay to think of Maura in that way and she smiled.

"_Good morning_." She greeted and earned a kiss to her cheek, before being ordered to sit at the counter.

"_The least I can do is to make breakfast."_ Maura said busing herself taking out some eggs of the fridge. The brunette noticed how Julia looked disappointed. She loved preparing breakfast with Jane. _"Go ask her. Maybe she needs some help."_ Jane whispered and winked.

Julia's face lit up and the girl walked around the counter offering Maura to help her. Maura who had no idea where to find the pan etc. accepted Julia's help gladly and Jane watched happy how the blonde allowed her to climb on the chair to scramble the eggs.

"_Does it hurt?"_ Maura asked upon inspecting Janes nose when getting ready for a museum. Jane cringed as a finger lightly touched the broken part. Well, there was no use of denying now. _"Looks like no one will see after the swelling is gone._" The blonde said her face hovering dangerously close to Janes during the examination.

The girls busted into the bedroom, interrupting the temptation to kiss the blonde by stating that they were ready to go. Jane shot Maura a short look and noted that the blonde looked a bit disappointed too. they smiled at each other before following the kids to help them get their shoes and coates on.

It had been Janes suggestion to visit the exhibition about dinosaurs, hoping that the kids would love it. And she loved watching Maura explain things to them. Unlike with adults, Maura had a talent to explain stuff in a simple way with children.

There weren't many people at the museum around this time of day. So, they moved in peace between the exhibits which consisted of huge dinosaur figures, bones and fossils.

Sophie had recovered well from the shock and ran around with Julia, they were all excited and emerged into the world of the ancient creatures, which gave Jane and Maura time to themselves.

"_That was a great idea!"_ Maura stated with a smile. _"They love it."_

"_Yeah."_ Jane chuckled. _"It was my rain program for next week's holiday."_

They stood in front of a huge tyrannosaurus rex, whose hands were moving. _"Beautiful creatures, did you know….."_ Maura started a monologue to which Jane payed a lot attention as she found the subject fascinating.

She reached out for Maura's hand as they walked to the next exhibit, while the girls were totally concentrated on some dinosaur game. Jane stood behind Maura, their hands resting on a rail surrounding a fossil displaying a huge footprint. She took care to stand close, but not too close.

Maura quickly glanced at the girls whose eyes were still glued to the screen_. "You don't have to worry."_ Jane whispered cheekily. _"Your daughter has asked me when I was going to kiss you."_

"_She what?"_ the blonde blushed and chuckled. _"Seriously?"_

"_Yeah, it was at the funfair."_

Maura gasped in surprise. Then continued after a pause. _"So, when are you going to kiss me?"_ she cheekily asked.

Jane grinned, although Maura couldn't see it. _"I will kiss you, when the time is right."_ She said, biting her lips.

"_Maybe after our next date?"_ the blonde suggested. Jane rolled her eyes, seeing as they had been so close already this morning.

"_Hmmm, sounds good. But the next date is on me."_ she said, and they left to look after the kids after agreeing to have it in a few days. Jane had to check if Amelia was free for that night.

After some lunch at McDonalds they drove home where Sophie and Julia made a tent around Julia's desk, while Maura and Jane sat on the couch watching an old Mrs. Marple movie. The rain had brought back the cold and so the brunette reached for a blanket and covered them both with it.

Moreover, she offered Maura to snuggle into her arm when noticing that the blonde shivered. The blonde accepted gratefully and soon Jane felt in amusement that she was not the only one with a heightened heartbeat.

It was three days later, when she let Amelia into the flat. It was still raining, and the girls had enlarged the tent to an extent where it became difficult to move in the room. Jane and Maura had hardly managed to tuck them in the previous night and Jane wondered if the tent would cover the entire room including the bed by the time they came home.

She glanced at Maura who was already putting on her shoes, wearing a blue skirt with a matching blazer over a white blouse. Jane herself wore one of her dark working suits, with a red top and her some decent high heels.

This should be fine she thought while kissing Sophie and Julia goodbye. She had planned taking Maura out for dinner at a nice restaurant first, and then they would watch a string concert later. She hoped Maura would like it. Nervousness also filled her about their discussion of the kiss. It wasn't that she didn't want to kiss Maura. But she just wanted the time to be right.

Dinner went great and they spent a lot of time talking about old cases and some of Janes recent ones. But also, about themselves. So much had happened since they had last talked to each other that it felt difficult to find a place where to start because there was so much they wanted to know about each other.

Jane learned that Maura had been married for almost seven years to a French guy called Louis. He was the son of one of Constance's many acquaintances. Rich to the point that they had been living in a castle, Louis had insisted that Maura stopped working.

But that wasn't the only thing which had bothered Maura at the end. After her husband's countless affairs with men and women she had called it quits and demanded the divorce. She had moved back to Boston just when they had met at the airport. Thank god, she had never sold the house.

Jane on the other side told her that she had been with Chris for two years. Then she had moved to the apartment after been thrown out and had finally decided to let no one to her heart again. The last sentence had made the blonde raise an eyebrow, so she chuckled. _"Well, turns out it was a stupid plan. I had no idea back then that this"_ she paused and pointed the finger between them _"would ever happen."_

Maura grinned, taking a sip from her wineglass_. "Me neither. I honestly thought you would never talk to me again. And I would understand why." _

Jane glanced at painful eyes and covered the blonde's hands with hers. _"Honey, Its okay now. I needed an explanation. And I thought over it, it made sense. We just have to talk more directly if needed."_

Maura nodded. Jane noticing how easy the pet name had come over her lips, although not intended. The blonde relaxed again, when they moved to the tiny concert hall. The musicians were young, but very talented and gave a great performance.

Both had their hands placed on the other one's thigh for the longest time and removed it reluctantly when the concert was over.

A tall elegant dressed woman called Maura's name, when Jane was just helping her into her coat.

"_Maura!"_ the woman sounded breathless when catching up with them. "_I haven't seen you in a long time. How are you? Constance told me that you were back to the states."_

It was obvious that Maura wasn't happy to see the woman who was staring down at Jane_. "Justine."_ The blonde said with a fake smile, which she usually reserved for the family and friends of the family. _"May I introduce you to my lovely girlfriend Jane?"_

The brunette almost chocked but caught herself quickly and shook the elder woman's hand, who herself tried to hide her emotions. _"I didn't know that you were uhm.."_ Justine said and quickly turned when she saw another acquaintance, she could bother.

Maura chuckled to Janes surprise and grabbed for her hand. Jane bit her lip asking the blonde in the car if her mother knew about them. Maura laughed and tilted her head to say no. _"But she will know soon. I'm pretty sure that she'll call within the next two hours_."

"_And you don't mind?_" the brunette wondered.

_"Well, she gave me a three-hour speech what a bad person I am for divorcing Louis. The Isles don't divorce, they sit it through were her words."_ Maura shrugged as if this was explanation enough but then added. _"I have let them terrorize me all my life. I was like a stupid donkey who crouched and begged the carrot called love. I'm too old for that shit. And I don't want to hide whom I love for that matter."_

Jane felt her heart thump hard in her chest. Maura had said she loved her. After that came another realization. Dr. Maura Isles hat just sworn. She laughed out in relieve and saw Maura throwing her a puzzled look.

"_What?"_ she asked already chuckling.

"_You swore Maura Isles. I think I might be bad influence."_

The blonde burst out in laughter_. "Thank god, life would be colorless and boring without you. I tried it but it didn't work for me."_

Jane smiled silently at these words and the fact that Maura accepted her the way she was. And if needed she could count on her standing up to defending her.

After coming home shortly after ten they went to say good night to Julia and Sophie who were already asleep. Jane silently thanked god, that the tent a gotten no further enlargement.

They ended up showering and changing into their pajamas. Jane felt a rush of adrenaline when after a while of talking and holding hands on the couch she was ready to kiss this beautiful and taunting lips of Maura's. And it was just then when Constance's face appeared on the display of Maura's phone. Jane cursed inwardly when the blonde picked up. So, her second attempt to kiss that woman had failed and she got off the couch to fetch the wine bottle in frustration. Fate was a cruel bitch she thought thinking that at first, she had made her run into Maura, and now she wouldn't let her kiss the woman.

Well honestly, she also felt a bit angry about Maura who could have chosen to ignore the call. Tomorrow was another day after all.

"_Yes, that's right. I'm with Jane now."_ She heard the blondes voice drift over from the couch. Jane rolled her eyes walking back to the living area, pouring them more wine.

The blonde shot her a grateful look while continuing the talk with her adoptive mother. _"Mother I don't care who sees me, and I care less about the talk." _

After a while Jane walked back into the kitchen to fetch some cheese, as she was slowly starting to feel hungry. Hungry and guilty for making fun of Maura wanting to swap parents. She was almost done cutting the cheese into pieces, when the blonde hung up.

"_Are you okay, hon?"_ she gingerly asked putting the knife into the sink.

Maura smiled. _"Of course. I managed to tell Constance to stay out of my business without yelling at her. I was as polite as she had taught me to be."_ Maura chuckled. Then she became more serious, grabbing for some cheese_. "No, seriously. I'm fine. What parent isn't happy when her child is? I will never understand that."_

Jane growled taking some cheese too, now knowing that it probably wouldn't make it to the coffee table anyway as Maura seemed to want to have this discussion in the kitchen. Hell, she had even brought their glasses of wine. Jane wondered what was wrong with the couch.

"_Mine, for example."_ She said, drinking some wine. _"Although ma loves you so much, that we could get lucky not to die if we tell her that we are more than friends now."_ The brunette added with a thoughtful glare.

Maura almost spilled the wine onto the counter. _"Will you tell her?" _she asked.

Jane tilted no with her head, pursing her lips, she had no intention to spill the beans. At least not now. To her surprise Maura silently moved into her arms and she had to stretch her arm to get rid of the wine glass to hold her close. She closed her eyes and sighed. It was a strange feeling to have Maura so near and she didn't even know if Maura had hugged her because of her own parents or to comfort Jane because of her mother. Maybe both. Anyways it felt good and natural.

"_I believe you were just about to do something when my phone rang."_ Maura pulled away and smiled daring at Jane who acted as if she couldn't remember to tease the blonde. _"Not that I know."_ She stated taking another sip and Maura chuckled. _"Well I hope you remember sometime. I'm off to bed now."_

Jane just couldn't believe it. There was almost a feeling of disappointment when she saw Maura walking towards the bedroom.

"_Seriously Maur?_" she asked when entering the room after a soft knock. Maura was just getting rid of her dressing gown and Jane noted that a candle was burning on the nightstand covering the room with a soft and warm light.

"_Well, you know, we have electricity in the flat. Wonderful invention. Shall I show you?"_ Jane smirked teasingly, admitting to herself, that Maura knew how to put romance into the whole thing and that she liked it.

The blonde bit her lip not to laugh. She grabbed softly Janes arm which was reaching for the light switch and pulled her close. The rest went by itself as Jane leaned in to meet Maura's lips for a tentative kiss. There was a flutter in her gut, when she brushed the soft and sweet tasting lips for the first time and the butterflies came to life again.

She parted her lips after a while and felt Maura's tongue tentatively searching hers for a dance. Jane had kissed before, but she couldn't recall one single time it had felt like this. Butterflies were dancing around her stomach and chills were wandering up and down her body.

They paused when needing some air, still holding hands, standing or better said swaying in a candle lit room, looking at each other gently. Jane putting a strand of blonde hair where it belonged, happy.

They kissed a bit more, exploring a side which despite spending so many nights together they never had.

Somehow it felt right for Jane to move back into the bedroom, and she went to fetch her pillow and her blanket to claim her side again. The candle was still burning when she lay on her back, her head resting on her crossed arms. The blonde lay beside her, eyes closed. Probably meditating Jane mused.

She replayed the evening in her head, like she often did with her days. The kissing had been incredible, and although she had been a little bit aroused, they hadn't proceeded to make love. It just had been enough to taste the lips. It felt kind of strange and exciting to lay next to each other, hearing the other one's breath.

At first, she thought that it had all been a dream, when she woke up holding Julia in her arms instead of Maura, whom she expected. But as she tried to stir, she noted that someone was also lying behind her back. She carefully turned around to find Maura, who held Sophie in her arms. Both blondes were still asleep by the sound of the deep breathes.

"_This is a dream come true."_ She mumbled, slightly chuckling. Only that in her dream, everything had been slightly different and more comfortable. _"Ma, are you okay?"_ Julia looked at her worried_. "Yeah, honey. I'm fine._" she said and kissed the top of her head_. "We should giggle them."_ Julia whispered with a conspiratorially tone meaning tickle. Sometimes Julia would pretend to be asleep in the morning and Jane then tickled her. The girl adored it.

"_I'm not sure if they would appreciate it, honey."_ Jane whispered back kissing the tip of the tiny nose which made the girl smile. _"I could giggle you."_ Julia whispered.

"_Naw. But you know what we could do?"_ The girl stared at her with wide eyes tilting her head. "_We could get up and make some breakfast for our friends."_

Julia nodded excited, already slipping out of bed. Jane followed, hoping that they hadn't already woken everybody up with their chat.

Jane threw the ingredients for pancakes into a bowl and let Julia stir it. In the meantime, she made cocoa for the kids and coffee for the grownups. Maura and Sophie entered the room by the time everything was finished.

"_We made breakfast."_ Julia proudly told them, climbing down from the chair which she had used while cooking.

"_Yeah, you are very lucky. You could have gotten tickled instead of getting breakfast."_ Jane smirked and winked at Maura who gingerly asked, _"Are we okay, Jane?"_ the brunette glanced at the kids who were pouring too much sirup on the pancakes like usually and furrowed her eyebrows. "_Yes, Maur. We're okay_." She smiled squeezing the blonde's hand.

Jane sat down to the table with Maura, scolding Julia for taking too much sirup. The obligatory eye rolling was followed by a _"But we are on holiday, ma."_ Whining which made Maura almost burst out into a good laughter.

The blonde almost chocked though, when Julia asked Jane when she would finally kiss Maura. Jane blushed first, then shot Maura a _there you go look_.

One thing was sure, if this relationship worked out, they were doomed with two kids like Julia and Sophie Jane thought and chuckled. _"Honey, I already kissed her."_ Sophie looked as if this information caused her to relieve. "_Oh, good."_ She mumbled busying herself with the pancakes.

The next question came from Julia who held a sirup soaked piece of pancake to the air_. "Are we going to have a brother then?" _Maura and Jane gasped.

"_Call me if you need help."_ Maura whispered to Janes ear. She wore a grey skirt today, white blouse and matching blazer again. She was headed for a meeting of the foundation. No wonder her suitcase had been so heavy seeing as to how much different clothes the blonde had brought Jane thought and laughed glancing at the two kids who were now peacefully drawing pictures at the coffee table.

"_I will."_ Jane promised.

"_I'll miss you."_ Maura quickly said leaving a stunned Jane behind. The brunette thought that they would miss each other more in a few days, when it was time for Sophie to go back to school. The plan was to drive them home to Boston in the afternoon and spend the weekend with them there.

Jane had already asked Frankie if he had time for a night at the dirty robber. Needless to say that he had been happy to see her again soon. Although he didn't know about Maura and her yet. But she planned on telling him in person.

Maura came home by midday. Jane had given her a key, because she hadn't known how long the meeting would last and she and the girls had planned to go to the park.

Now she was cooking lasagna with the help of Sophie and Julia, who each manned a spoon to a sauce. She stood between the stools and watched them.

The first thing she saw when she looked up to greet Maura was a bouquet of flowers. At first, she just didn't know what to say. She wasn't used to getting flowers or presents in general she was the one to ….

She went over to kiss Maura. "_Thank you, Maur. I just.. I just don't know what to say. They are beautiful!"_

Maura blushed when seeing Jane so touched_. "Well, I thought you might like them. I have never done this before."_ She muttered under her breath. _"I mean bringing flowers to the person I uhm like."_

"_I know its hard to believe but I never received flowers from a person I uhm liked."_ Jane replied thinking of and Dean who had brought her lots of bouquets. And she had liked them, but not the way she liked Maura Isles.

Both giggled shyly before Jane tried to find a vase. Meanwhile searching the cupboards, she asked the blonde how the meeting was.

"_It was good. I'm surprised I'm not inherited now."_ Maura stated greeting both kids with a kiss on the cheek.

Jane glanced at her, filling the vase with water and rolled her eyes.

After eating lunch and cleaning away the dishes, they travelled back to Boston. Jane and Maura hadn't talked about what it would be like, when work and school started again. Maybe they could work something out to see each other frequently on the weekends.

But there was something else which rolled around her mind. Maura had told her while washing the dishes that he had had a talk with one of the lawyers on the board who had offered to help her with getting rid of the debts. The blonde had given her his card so she could call him for help adding that he would do it for free. Obviously, he owed her a favor or something. She decided to do so on Monday.

When Jane entered the house in beacon hill she was surprised as to how much Maura had adjusted her home to a six-year-old.

"_Do you like it?"_ the blonde asked, putting down the suitcases of herself and her daughter to pull off the shoes.

"_Yeah. I like it very much."_ Jane said, going through the original inventory in her mind. A lot of the original furniture was gone and had been replaced by child sized and colorful stuff.

Later that evening Jane was getting ready to meet Frankie and Korsak. Maura was sitting on the couch watching a movie with the children. The brunette said goodbye to all of them and went off.

There were less people at the bar this time and she immediately spotted her brother sitting in the same spot he had been the last time. She received warm hugs from him and Korsak who automatically put a beer to the counter in front of her.

The evening was just as nice as the last one. They were chatting a lot about different topics. Jane avoiding giving them a description how she had broken her nose, not wanting to give to much away right at the beginning

"_So, Jane. What brings you here?_" Frankie asked her after a while looking curious.

Jane took a sip from her bottle and smiled gingerly. She put a strand of hair out of her face before speaking up. _"I'm here to visit Maura."_

"_That's good right?"_ Frankie asked. _"Yeah, its good. We somehow got to talk and clear some things up, like you suggested. I mean somewhere in between she broke my nose but we are fine."_

Korsak glanced at her. _"Talking or fistfight? Who won? Probably you, seeing that Maura isn't here."_ He joked, getting the point before Frankie who looked confused in between them.

"_We uhm had a date. Maura took me to the battle cage and well… here I go with a broken nose."_

Korsak laughed while Jane smiled recalling their first date_. "I would have loved to see that date. I bet I know what happened. You tried to show her how to hold the bat and then.."_

Frankie said _no way!_ and glanced at Jane who tried to hide her blush behind the bottle.

"_That is so cheesy."_ He said to tease her and laughed. Korsak interrupted him by saying _"look who's talking now? Luring your girl to a telescope on a starry night, giving her some speech and ask her to marry her? You Rizzolis have romantic but cheesy written all over you." _He chuckled.

Now it was Frankie who blushed.

"_Yeah anyways, Maura is sitting the kids and that's why she's not here. I didn't hurt her, I swear." _Jane lifted her fingers in scout style and grinned.

Korsak chuckled. _"Maybe next time you find a babysitter and you bring her with you. I haven't seen her in ages, and I would love to see her again."_

Jane nodded and glanced at her watch. It was already one am. She decided to go home and said goodbye to the boys.

It hit her on the way home that none of them had been surprised to find out about their dating and stuff. In the contrary. They seemed to have expected it, probably even back then, when they were still working for the BPD.

Maura was still awake and reading one of Janes thrillers, when the brunette came home. She had quickly passed to say goodnight to the girls and asked Maura about their evening. She was relieved to hear that everything had gone fine and quickly slipped into the bathroom for a shower and to change into a tank top and boxers which served as a pajama.

"_Korsak said, I should bring you with me next time. He misses you."_ Jane said after giving Maura a kiss.

"_So, you told them about us?"_ Maura smiled and put a marker to the page before putting the book aside. Then she took Janes hand and both looked in amazement how their fingers laced on the blonde's belly.

"_Yes, and you know what? They weren't even surprised."_ Jane replied lifting her eyes back to Maura's.

"_Yeah, I bet they had always secretly believed that we belonged together." _

Jane was astonished at how matter of factly Maura had stated the obvious. And although being obvious, Jane herself had never seen it.

"_You're reading thrillers now?"_ Jane changed the subject and they talked on for a while until they both fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Frankie had offered to watch the girls with Nina, when at the dirty robber the previous night. So, now Maura and Jane found themselves alone in the house kind of not knowing what to do with themselves out of surprise.

"_I like how Frankie and you have become friends."_ Maura said, when they settled on the couch.

"_Yeah, me too."_ Jane smiled.

They decided to spend the noon at the house and then go out for lunch later.

"_Would you like to watch a movie?"_ Maura asked and Jane chuckled. The blonde looked puzzled and Jane told her to google what her question meant. Maura blushed when reading it, while Jane flipped through the channels to find a good one.

The brunette coughed in surprise when Maura asked if they could watch a gay movie and if she knew some which were good. Jane knew plenty and started looking if she could find any on Netflix she liked. She had her favorites on DVD at home, if she had known she would have brought some.

But she got lucky when finding "A family affair" on an illegal streaming channel. Maura went to get some juice and make some popcorn, while Jane wondered if she should tell the blonde about the source. To her surprise Maura knew, at least she gave a hint, but didn't complain about a detective trespassing the law. Probably eager to see the movie, Jane mused in amusement.

It was an older movie, but sweet and funny. This was why Jane liked it. As she had seen it several times, she focused more on Maura who sat stoically on the couch. Her feet tucked under her body as usual. It was clear to her, that this was Maura's first movie of that type and she couldn't help but love to see the scientist in her examining what was going on on the screen. That was so Maura she thought. The woman was always open minded when it came to new things. But she usually approached it from the scientific side.

Jane wondered if Maura was uncertain how sex with a woman worked. But who knew, maybe she had already made love to another woman. The brunette nibbled nervously on her thumb not being able to say what exactly made her nervous.

"_Want to see another one?"_ Jane asked when the movie was finished. She was beginning to relax. A noon on the couch was good after the excitement of the last weeks.

The blonde nodded and smiled. _"its interesting how it stimulates me more to see two women kiss than if I see the same between a man and a woman."_ She scientifically stated. The brunette wanted to say that this was because she was gay, but bit back her comment and grinned. It amused her for Maura seemed to be the only person she knew who was putting feelings into a scientific context.

I love you Maua Isles she thought to herself while she searched for another one finding _"Loving Annabelle"._ The brunette had never seen it herself but knew that it was highly praised, so she chose it after checking with Maura if it was okay. So far, their physical contact had been reduced to some kissing, holding hands and a little bit of snuggling. She decided to move a little bit closer, wrapping her arm around Maura's shoulder who seemed to like it.

Sometimes it felt as if they explored love like teenagers who had no real clue. Maura laid her hand on Janes thigh and they smiled at each other. Jane gave a comfortable sigh and started to focus on the screen.

Being lazy they decided to order Pizza and eat it while watching another movie. Jane ignored her buzzing phone when they began kissing and making out a little. By now they had spooned on the couch and Janes long fingers were running slowly over Maura's soft skin on the arm, causing goosebumps, when there was a knock to the door.

"_Don't open."_ Jane mumbled and nibbled on the blonde's ear. _"Maybe its Frankie with the kids."_ Maura stated as she got ready to rise from the couch, leaving a slightly disappointed Jane behind. The brunette sighed and reached for her phone in the meantime to read a message from Frankie.

**We ran into ma at the shopping center. She is probably on the way over to you. **

Well that warning was a little bit too late as a red headed Angela busted into the living room of Maura's which made Jane immediately sit up straight.

Her mother was steaming in anger, demanding to know why Jane hadn't bothered to tell her that she was in town. The brunette felt a headache raising and massaged her temples thinking about how to react. She wasn't up for that drama, and it had to stop.

When she glanced at Maura, she saw a questioning look and she saw that the blonde was willing to step up for her. But she slightly tilted her head wanting to do it by herself.

"_Hey ma."_ She started, offering Angela a seat. But her mother denied, her arms stemmed against her waist she demanded to know what was going on. Jane remembered this gesture from her childhood and tried not to feel like an intimidated child by it. She bit her lips and said _"Maura and I are dating. We are happy." _

Jane saw how Angela shot Maura a mischievous look. _"What? You too? I couldn't believe it when Giovanni told me, but now I see. The poor lad was all in tears when he told me"_ she spat accusingly. Then looking back at Jane. _"Look what you've done!"_ This was the moment when Jane realized that there was no way to escape the drama.

"_Actually, I've been in love with her for a long time. And yes, this is because I'm gay too. And if you have a problem with it or can't behave like an adult, I would ask you to leave MY house. But maybe you consider your attitude and we can talk about everything." _

Angela blushed and snorted. She turned on her heels and left the house. Jane thought that this had been very brave of Maura. But the blonde appeared to be tired of lying and denying too.

"_Why is it that she is so homophobic?"_ Maura asked after exhaling loudly. _"You seemed to get on your nerves but at the end you liked each other. What happened?" _

"_Honestly I don't know. This started after I came out to her."_ Jane dropped back to the couch and shrugged.

"_Maybe its because of her religious believe?"_ Maura asked, knowing that the catholic church wasn't that excited about homosexuality.

"_I really don't know, Maur."_ Jane started to become aggressive, immediately excusing herself for the harsh tone. _"Look, I need a run. I'll feel better afterwards. I'm sorry."_ she said softly and kissed a stunned Maura to the cheek before leaving to change into her work out clothes.

"_Its okay, Jane."_ Maura said when she reappeared. "_This woman drives me nuts too."_

"_I didn't really mean to bark at you. I shouldn't have. Sorry."_ Jane said, feeling guilty. _"Want to join me and run if off too?_" Maura smiled. _"Yes, but only if I don't intrude your personal space if doing so."_

Jane smiled at the blonde, pulling her into a hug. _"I would love if you joined me."_ she whispered kissing her forehead.

"_I gave up on trying to understand her. Frankie tried to talk to her but also got away emptyhanded."_ She told Maura when coming out of the shower, rubbing her wet hair with a towel. The run had been great. After starting slowly they had easily fell back in their old rythm_. "I get it if she doesn't appreciate my live style to quote her words, but I don't get why she keeps bothering me with it." _Jane sighed.

Maura nodded. _"Yes, I agree. This drama is unnecessary, and it doesn't really help. What I don't get is, that she still wants to see you. Then when she gets the opportunity, she is mean. But it looks as if she keeps coming back to you for a reason, and I don't think that its to convince you of becoming straight."_

Jane gave it a thought. This was all just so confusing and made no sense.

"_Maybe she wants to see her grandchild."_ She mused another theory.

"_I don't know, Jane. But fact is, that this is nerve-wracking."_

The brunette knew that this was the only fact which could be mouthed with certainty. It was good to talk about it with Maura.

Sunday came quicker than anticipated and Jane packed Julia into the car for their drive home. Jane and Maura silently stood face to face when saying goodbye, not knowing when they could see each other again. Maura pulled Jane into a hug and they kissed without saying much.

Monday morning Jane sat hunched over some files at her desk in the squad room. But her focus was less on the papers in front of her than on the events of the last two weeks and a certain woman, whom she missed. Her elbow was resting on the desk and her hand held her temple, while her wild mane formed a curtain to the left side of her face.

"_Jane Rizzoli, you have no idea how glad I am to see you."_ A well-known voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked up to find Cavanaugh standing next to her desk.

"_Care to get some coffee and talk?"_ he asked with a smile on his face. Jane who was happy for some distraction and curious what her boss from BPD was doing here nodded and grabbed her jacket. She took him to a nice place close to the precinct.

"_What are you doing here?" she_ asked after they had settled into a booth with their beverages. His eyes were fixed on something on the streets. Spring was here and the sun was shining. Lots of people were out there, enjoying the first real warm days of the year as Jane noted.

The man glanced at her, clearing his throat. _"I've got demoted to NYPD because of something Crowe did. Did you know that he was on the payroll of Paddy Doyle? Well, I didn't until internal affairs knocked on my door telling me to pack my shit and move to NY because I should have known. But believe it or not, I can feel lucky because I learned later that Crowe had tried to drag me into this shit by claiming that I had known all about it all along."_

His eyes darted out of the window again in order to avoid eye contact with Jane. She could feel that he was somehow ashamed, but also angry. She wondered why Frankie hadn't told her last weekend because it had happened a while ago. Cavanaugh had started working for NYPD last week already.

"_Crowe has always been a piece of art."_ She mumbled, feeling sympathy for the man. Okay, at the beginning she hadn't exactly been friends with Cavanaugh, but she had come to appreciate her boss for his loyalty and honesty. Besides he was a reasonable man, who did a good job.

"_I know." He sighed, finally looking at her. "Anyways, I'm glad to work with you again. You seem to be the only sane person at the precinct."_ He said and rose an eyebrow. Jane chuckled; she would never have thought that someone would call her sane when it came to work. Usually she heard about bridges and shooting herself.

She thanked him for the compliment and agreed. The homicide department at BPD was a family, except for some people. But there was no family feeling to the homicide unit of New York. There were too many loners, and too many fights against and among co-workers. It was the same to the morgue and the lab.

Her own partner bullied her for two reasons. First, because he believed that women didn't belong in the police. And second because of her sexual orientation. He spent most of his time, making fun of her and bragging around what a champ he was, while Jane quietly did all the work.

If she had learned something over the last years, it was that life wasn't always fair, and that it was sometimes easier and better for your sanity not to pull up a fight, but just do your thing and ignore the drama.

Jane gave him her number when parting ways at the precinct later, telling him to call her if he needed help or information about anything. He smiled and thanked her.

**I've got a new boss**. She texted Maura later and smiled. She liked having Cavanaugh as her boss again.

**I hope he's okay.** Came the blondes reply soon after.

**Yeah, he is. Its Cavanaugh. Tell you all about it on the phone later.**

She put the phone down and started to work on the cold case she had been assigned to. It was about a stabbed woman found in Central park around Christmas five years ago. There was something intriguing to the case Jane thought while looking at the list of evidence to see if there was something which hadn't been checked because the right technique hadn't been introduced yet. But she couldn't put a name on it yet.

Later that night she settled on her couch with a beer. Julia was already asleep, Of course she was sad about being separated from Sophie. Jane and Maura talked about the girls for a bit, then Jane told her that she had talked to the lawyer and that he saw a good chance that she didn't have to pay Chris debts any longer, which was really good news.

She pictured Maura sitting on her couch with her feet tucked underneath her body with a glass of wine in hand, while the blonde told her about her day. She had used the nice weather to do some gardening. The governor had called to offer her a job at the morgue in Boston. But Maura seemed to be reluctant to take it for some reason which she didn't elaborate to Jane. But the brunette didn't push her to do so, having the feeling that sooner or later she would get to know why. Maybe Maura didn't like the offer or wasn't quite ready to work again she mused.

These daily talks became a routine over the next weeks. Usually they talked about their days but also started to get in dept of what they had missed on each other's life while not talking to each other. They were slowly building a relationship like they had done over the seven years in Boston. The only difference was that their relationship was of another nature.

They laughed together about funny things, and sometimes cried about the sad things. At one point Maura asked why Julia had hidden from Chris at the fun fair. And Jane had told her, that Chris could be emotional abusive. The brunette felt ashamed to have fallen into the trap but talked openly about it even though. Maura admitting that she had fallen into the trap with Louis too.

"_Well, at least we managed to get out of it."_ Jane said, feeling sad.

"_Yes, thank god."_ Maura added sighing.

When Jane came to the office a few days later, she was more than surprised to see her partner sitting at his desk, actually working. Something she had never witnessed before. She asked Cavanaugh about it, when they met by coincidence on a Sunday in a park. It was clear that he had something to do with it. And there was talk about the new boss in the hallways.

"_Well, I honestly don't care if they don't like me. And I won't let them threaten me. Its highly unfair, that the work is always done by the same people. I made a point to them, that I could dismiss them all easily, if they don't work, because then obviously we have to many people in the department if the workload can be done by three."_

Jane looked at him and laughed. Well he clearly had a point there. Anyways, since Cavanaugh's actions she made it home on time almost every day.

"_Which one is yours Rizzoli?"_ he asked glancing at the kids on the playground.

She pointed to Julia who was swinging wildly. He grinned. _"Of course. Looks and behaves a lot like you."_ He smiled and winked.

"_Yeah, I hear that a lot."_ Jane laughed and shrugged.

One evening Jane was still sitting at her desk, rubbing her face, trying to focus, when her phone buzzed. It was one of these days when Maura and she wouldn't get to talk on the phone, because the brunette had only 12 hours left to nail the suspect of a homicide. Otherwise they would have to let him go.

She almost choked when finding a picture of Maura in her message box. It was not unusual per se to receive pictures from the blonde, but they usually showed drawings of Sophie or other stuff. The brunette leant back in her chair and clicked her tongue as she glanced at the blonde in a bikini**. Hope you enjoy!** She read blushing. Of course, she had seen the blonde in this before. But it was a long time ago.

Jane had found her and the picture uhm very sexy. After picking up her jaw from her desk, she dialed Maura's number.

"_This is torture."_ She blurted out to the blonde's amusement.

"_I thought about you and how you must be tired and all. So, I decided to cheer you up." _The blonde said in a teasing tone.

Jane pinched her nose and chuckled. How on earth could she not love this woman? She already had a plan to get back to her though. They hadn't seen each other for weeks now and although talking much on the phone they had never surpassed snuggling and kissing. She felt surprised by Maura's bold move to a new level, but was totally comfortable with it and the topic of making love.

"_Tell me Jane. What's the matter?"_ the brunette sighed. She was not allowed to discuss any cases with strangers. But they did it all the time. Therefore, she gave it a shot and told Maura everything she knew on the case_. "There is something I just don't see, I feel it in my gut that he did it, but I just cant get a hold of it."_ She finished.

There was silence on the other side of the phone and Jane could picture Maura sitting on her couch, thinking.

"_Jane, do you have the autopsy report?"_ The brunette shuffled through the papers on her desk, pulling it out from under a coffee cup.

"_Yes. I have it right here. Why?"_

Maura directed her to a section in the file and asked for the abbreviations written there. Jane rubbed her head as she read them out.

"_Then I have good news for you Jane. You will be home soon. Because what you just read is proof that the guy did it."_ Maura went on to explain and Jane had to stop her several times, _"Could you please say that in English?"_ she chuckled as the doctor had to translate several times. Jane took hastily notes in between the interruptions.

"_And you are sure this is it?"_ Jane asked, feeling silly, for Maura was never wrong when it came to science. Thank god the blonde was used to her questioning and wasn't offended.

"_I'm sure, Jane. Wrap it up and go home to your kid."_ The warmth of these words spoken so softly reached the brunettes heart.

"_Thanks Maur. You're the best!"_ she said.

"_I know."_ The blonde said to Janes amusement_. "Take care, Jane." _Maura's voice softened as they said their goodbyes.

"_You too Maur. Good night." _

She finished up with the urgent stuff and left the rest for the next day. She couldn't wait to get home to Julia.

Revenge is sweet she thought, when hitting the send button on her phone a few days later. It was in the middle of the noon. Maura was presumably just busy working when Janes bikini picture would reach her. At least she hoped so. The brunette smiled while shutting off the computer, calling it a day. The case had consumed a lot of time and Cavanaugh was only too glad to let her go home.

Maura occasionally worked cases for the BPD, but she wasn't willing to work fulltime again yet.

Jane had barley reached her car, when her phone announced an incoming call. She giggled when Maura's name appeared on the display. The thing was, that Jane usually wasn't the bikini type, settling more for swimsuits. She preferred functional when it came to sportswear. Therefore, Maura had never seen certain parts of her body.

"_Did you like it?"_ she asked after picking up, chuckling when noticing that the doctor's breath war faster than usual.

"_You drive me crazy detective, do you know that?"_ Maura gasped.

Jane had to laugh now. _"Well I hope in a good way."_ She said nonchalantly.

"_You definitely made my day."_ Maura stated, joining the laughter.

"_I'm glad to hear that. What are you doing Maur?" _

"_I'm sitting in my car, driving to the morgue. I was just at a crime scene. You?"_

"_Sitting in my car, driving home. I got the rest of the day off."_ She smiled.

"_You deserve it after the last weeks."_ The blonde said. _"I have to go now, Jane. I just arrived at the precinct. Call you tonight."_


	9. Chapter 9

"_Rizzoli, to my office!"_ Cavanaugh's voice filled the room. Jane knew that he tried to sound as harsh as he was to the others to preserve her from problems which she doubtlessly would have if they found out, that in fact they were good friends. In order to make it real she rolled her eyes at the others and got off her desk.

"_We get an interims ME tomorrow. Dr. Larsson announced that he is not going to come back. Maybe you can pick the ME up at the airport? And please convince the doctor to stay if it's a good one. Otherwise Pike will get the job._" Cavanaugh chuckled when Jane shrieked_. "I know. I only got news from the governor myself today. It seemed very important to him, that we treat his ME like a star."_

"_I hope you tell this to the others too. And I hope the new ME is really a star."_ Jane smirked when leaving his office. It was only May, but the heat was like in July or August. This was crazy Jane thought and prayed that the climatization in the precinct would get repaired soon. Otherwise she saw little chance that the ME would stay long.

She immediately stripped from her clothes when coming home around 3pm and went to shower. Dressed in a tank top and boxers she dropped to the couch in order to call Maura. Julia was not home from her visit to the park with Amelia yet. So, they would have time to chat before dinner.

Maura picked up at the second ring, sounding out of breath. _"Hey baby."_ Jane greeted her with a smile_. "Am I interrupting or something?"_ she asked holding her breath.

"_Jane. No, There's just something I have to… Never mind. Nice to hear your voice."_ Maura smiled now.

"_Are you sure. I can call later. Just wanted to tell you that uhm there is a vacancy at the morgue. We get an interims ME."_ Jane who had been sure to do the right thing at first to tell Maura about the opening wasn't so sure now after all. First, she didn't know if Maura was ready to work full time again, and second she had no clue if the blonde was willing to move to NY. She didn't want to put pressure on her, but felt, that Maura needed to know as soon as possible in order to apply on time. Well, if she wanted to. Or at least this would open a discussion about their future. Seeing as to how they didn't manage to visit each other over the last two months, mostly because either one of their kids hat liabilities for the school or Jane was stuck at work.

To her surprise Maura chuckled on the other end of the line_. "I know. I am the interims ME. I only got note myself about an hour ago. So, I got busy organizing _stuff. I'm supposed to arrive tomorrow, but I'd love to come this evening if this would be okay for you?"

The brunette felt her heartrate rise at the perspective to see Maura so soon. Her mind was already checking what had to be done and how much time she had.

"_I didn't want to tell you, because I was not sure if it would work out like I hoped it would. But when I had a talk with the governor a few month ago, I dropped that I preferred a job in NY. Therefore, I only agreed to work for BPD occasionally. I know we haven't talked about it yet. But honestly, I don't want to spend so much time apart. Therefore, it would make sense if one of us moved to the other ones city, right?"_

Jane was speechless and basically, she had had the same thought, therefore she had called Maura in the first place. They had talked about which city they would prefer if they moved together once and Maura had understood that Jane didn't really want to move back to Boston but rather stay in New York. But they hadn't really fixed it, and Jane had had no idea that Maura had been working on a plan.

"_Well, I guess we have to talk it through in peace later."_ Maura said sounding insecure when Jane didn't react to her opening right away.

The brunette cleared her throat. _"No, I think it's a great idea. That's why I called you in the first place, as I had the same thoughts. I'm just surprised that you already started to work on it."_ She softly chuckled. _"And I don't know what to say because you are willing to move to NY."_

There was a snort on the other end of the line. _"I swore to myself to never move for love again. But as you said. Then I didn't know that us would happen. And I have a good feeling about it. Besides I totally understand that you don't want to move back here."_

Jane smiled to herself feeling excited. After hanging up, she became busy cleaning the apartment and pulling on new sheets to the bed.

It was already late when Maura arrived, as usually with a huge suitcase and a sleepy Sophie in tow. Julia was already fast asleep although trying to stay up to wait for the blonde's arrival. But her day at school had been very exhausting, so Jane had carried her from the couch to her bed an hour ago.

Half an hour later, Sophie had followed her friend to the land of dreams.

Jane awaited Maura with a glass of wine on the couch. The blonde had changed into a short and a t-shirt as it was still hot. Jane noted in amusement that it was of her old BPD cotton shirts which she had been looking for since weeks. Finally, being alone they kissed gently and smiled at each other.

"_Cavanaugh told me to treat you like a star."_ Jane mumbled to Maura's mouth and the blonde chuckled.

"_Yeah?"_ the blonde replied. _"I always liked him. he is a clever man."_ she said and winked. Jane laughed and pulled away to glance at the ME. She propped her head on her elbow which was resting on the backrest of the couch taking a sip of wine while keeping her eyes on Maura who pursed her lips.

"_I'm glad to finally see you again. I missed you."_ The blonde said honestly.

"_Yeah, me too."_ Jane replied smiling.

"_Can we talk about New York?"_ Maura gingerly asked while tugging at her shirt which began to get damp from the heat.

"_You mean about you taking the job and moving here?"_ Jane asked and got up in order to open the window. But her hope that the air had cooled down by now vanished instantly. She decided to leave the window open anyways and patted back to take her spot again.

"_Yes."_ Maura said, twisting her wine glass in between her index finger and thumb. It hit Jane that Maura was asking herself if Jane would be okay with it after her reaction earlier that day.

"_I absolutely love the idea. As I said, that's why I called you in the first place. And it would be great for Sophie and Julia too."_ She quietly said while putting a strand of blonde hair where it belonged. Their eyes locked and they were both searching the depts of each other's souls. Jane sensed that something else was bothering Maura.

"But we would eventually need a bigger flat." Jane spoke up after a while.

The expression of relieve on Maura's face told her that she had hit home. Well it matched Maura not to say it herself. She was probably scared to hurt Jane, but it was a fact that the girls sharing one room and one bed was only a holiday solution and Jane said so.

She wasn't surprised when Maura mentioned that she possessed a house with garden in NY. But according to the blonde it needed a lot of love and care. Some rooms needed a fresh coat of painting, the garden was wild, the plumbing was old… Jane smiled and gave her a kiss. "I think I can manage to help you with some of it. Besides I have only two more weeks till my next holiday."

Maura nodded mentioning that she could also hire somebody.

"Maybe we should go to bed. We have uhm" she glanced at her watch "only four hours left to sleep.

Maura agreed and followed Jane into the bedroom.

"Only five more minutes." The brunette mumbled into her cushion when the alarm went off. There are two sorts of people she thought. One sort which was able to rise right after the first ring, and one who snoozed until god knew when. While Maura belonged to the first group, she represented the second. It had been hard to fall asleep because of the heat and the thoughts running through her mind. Jane had slept not more than an hour and felt dead.

Maura brought her coffee which she gratefully accepted hearing the girls talk excitedly with each other. Sophie would go to school with Julia today as a guest, and Amelia would pick them up later.

The brunette was ready to go within ten minutes, including a cold shower, dressing herself and Julia up.

Jane was about to say something to the blonde when her phone rang. Shortly after Maura's phone rang too. She automatically took it from the holster on her belt_. "Rizzoli." "Dr. Isles." _Both glanced at each other in surprise and then a smile broke out on their faces. If they had feared that working together again would be odd, they were taught a lesson now. To Jane it felt like coming home.

She glanced at Maura who was answering some questions while Jane did too_. "Yeah, the ME is already here. We'll be there as soon as we can."_

"_Seems like there's work already."_ She said to the blonde switching to work mode. _"We will safe the sightseeing tour of the precinct for later then."_ She chuckled sarcastically.

"_Hey, I just wanted to give you a warning about my partner."_ Jane spoke up after a while. The heat in the car was almost unbearable and sweat was running down her body although it wasn't even 8am.

"_He's not exactly a team player. And he hates women in general, so be prepared for some rough words."_

Maura nodded, Jane had hinted now and then, that there were problems within the homicide squad.

After giving their names and professions for the protocol to the officer in charge they ducked silently under the yellow tape and walked towards the crime scene. Jane looked around, taking everything in.

A huge man in an old wrinkled suit was standing with an officer and they could hear him say_: "Oh there comes our lesbian. I wonder if this is her girlfriend she brought."_ Both chuckled but shut up when they approached them. You have no idea, Jane thought in amusement.

She introduced everybody and asked_: "Care to fill me in?"_

Maura knelt next to the body, listening carefully to the words spoken behind her back. Detective smartass, that's what Jane had called him earlier in the car, was indeed matching up to his nickname. She cringed several times when he insulted her love but pretended not to listen focusing on the body of a dead woman.

Jane crouched next to her after ending the useless talk to her partner, catching a reassuring smile from Maura. She opened and closed evidence bags for the blonde just like she had used to in Boston. This familiarity between them didn't escape the big detective and he didn't seem to be happy about it.

"_What takes you so long?"_ he asked suddenly in a harsh voice. Jane cringed for she knew that he bullied Maura to hurt her. When she opened her mouth to say something, the blonde shot her a look saying _Don't! _They had had a short talk in the car laying out some rules to their behavior in public. Besides a no kissing or touching rule, they had established to keep their relationship quiet and to elude fuss. If Jane had said something it would doubtlessly had caused a lot of fuss, so she changed her mind and shrugged.

"_I'm sorry Detective, I will first have to perform the autopsy prior to give you information."_

"_What?"_ the man laughed_. "Even a blind can see that she has been strangled."_

"_Autopsy will be in two hours."_ She simply said and the brunette admired her dignity. Maura slipped the Violette gloves off her hands and busied herself with packing up her stuff, when Janes partner approached her to whisper something into her ear. Jane couldn't hear what it was, but she saw a sad smile appear on Maura's face.

Jane bit her lips while driving to the precinct, she wanted to apologize for the things her partner had said. She wanted to protect Maura so badly, but she realized that the blonde could handle the guy herself. She knew that Maura was perfectly able to protect herself, and that she would rely on Jane if she couldn't.

Her knuckles went white of holding on to the steering wheel and she gritted her teeth. "What did he say?" she finally asked looking at Maura while waiting for the traffic light to turn green. Maura shrugged. _"That I should be careful, because you're a lesbian and obviously you go down on every woman who lets you."_

Jane gasped_. "Do you believe him?"_ she asked clenching her teeth.

"_Of course not!" _Maura answered bewildered shooting Jane a what do you think of me look.

She showed Maura to the morgue and left to start working the case, still feeling uneasy about their conversation in the car. She hoped that Maura knew better and didn't just say so. Whenever she had thought about problems which could occur by working together, she had never considered detective smartass as a peril.

It was about 3 in the afternoon when Jane threw her pen onto her desk and grabbed for her jacket to visit the morgue. She had felt the need to go down there for a while now but had always managed to distract herself with the case. But now she needed to see if everything was okay between them.

She took a deep breath as she opened the door to the Me's office after a short knock.

"_Hey there."_ She said, glancing at Maura who to her disappointment didn't look surprised. _"How did you know I was coming?"_ she asked vacating a spot on the desk to sit down.

Maura chuckled, explaining that she had heard her footsteps in the hallway. The blonde leaned back in the chair and gratefully reached for the cup of coffee Jane offered her. _"Thank you, Jane."_ She smiled to Janes reliev.

"_You're welcome, Maur."_ Jane smiled back at her. There was an awful lot of smiling going on, the brunette thought. But that's probably how it is when you're in love she mused.

The blonde took a sip and spilled the coffee almost back into the cup. _"This is horrible! Are they trying to kill you?"_ she asked.

The brunette giggled. "_Yeah, seems like it, doesn't it?"_

"_It's worse than the one we had in Boston."_ Maura said, looking as if she might vomit.

"_I think the worst thing is, that one gets used to it."_ Jane stated and tilted the coffee in her plastic cup. _"Know what? There is a bistro around the corner. How about we go there and drink some real coffee?"_

"_Much better!_" Maura exclaimed after settling in a booth across from the brunette taking a sip. Jane had to agree. She closed her eyes for a short moment, enjoying the taste. And the knowledge that Maura had organized a job close to her. It felt good to share their life's in real, not just over the phone. Moreover, it felt good and soothing to have some of the old routine back.

"_So, tell me what you have so far."_ Jane picked up a talk about work not wanting to start a private talk in a surrounding which was always crowded with colleagues. Maura told her everything she had been able to find out, always keeping eye contact with Jane. They kept smiling all the time like adolescents. The brunette stretched out her right leg and pretended to touch Maura's by coincidence. The blonde winked with an eyebrow signaling that she liked it.

Jane could have stayed with Maura in the bistro forever, but there was a lot of work waiting. She promised Maura to send her a list of possible persons to identify Jane Doe and left for her desk upstairs.

It was already 9 pm when they met in the parking lot at Janes cruiser. Jane noted that it was still warm outside and pulled off her jacket before sliding behind the steering wheel. She could feel Maura steeling glances at her body while she drove through the streets. That was the second time the blondes mind seemed to think about making love. Strike one had been the bikini picture. This was uhm strike two?

Amelia had texted her, that she had forgotten the key to Janes apartment, therefore she had taken Julia and Sophie to her flat. The brunette handed Maura the key to her apartment whispering that she would go over to get the girls. But she literally returned empty handed a few minutes later because they had been sound asleep already.

"_This means that we get to spent this night without the supervision of the 6 year-olds."_ Jane said opening a bottle of wine. Grinning.

"_Uhh."_ Maura said to Janes amusement even though she couldn't make out what this meant. The sexual tension between them had risen since they had exchanged their bikini pictures. But she was not the one to plan things. And not having the kids around didn't mean that they had to rush because of it. Right now, she wanted to take a bath with… Uh? She thought stopping in her tracks, laughing at herself.

"_What is so funny?"_ the blonde asked from the counter. Jane blushed, thinking about what to say. She eyed the blonde whose face was unreadable.

"_You are having dirty thoughts, have you?"_ Maura asked grinning and chuckled.

"_Maybe…"_ Jane stated pretending to focus on pouring the wine into the glasses trying to hide her shaking hands. She was not willing to elaborate her thoughts further. But she realized that she had never been so nervous about sleeping with someone before. Maura was special to her and she was afraid to do something wrong.

Of course, it didn't escape the doctor's attention. The blonde herself seemed to be a bit nervous too. Well, there was a difference between stealing glances, fantasy and the real thing, the brunette thought handing a glass to the doctor.

Hell, get a grip, Jane scolded herself. _"Well if you must know, I just thought that it would be nice to take the wine to the bathroom and have a cooling bubbly bath."_ She chuckled but couldn't help the red color creeping up her face.

Maura cocked her head slightly, looking at Jane. _"Interesting."_ She said. Rolling the wine glass between her fingers like she had done the evening before.

"_But honestly I don't think that we should … well you know. I want it to happen from itself."_ The brunette stated, her face covered in a scarlet red.

"_I honestly never thought that you would be so shy about it."_ The blonde said, looking really surprised. _"and so romantic."_ She added, smiling.

"_Yeah, if you tell someone I have to kill you for killing my reputation."_ Jane laughed wiggling with her index finger. Then she added more serious_: "You are special to me, Maur. And I want this to be special. That's all."_

"_I really missed doing this with you in the last two months."_ The brunette said when they were on the couch, entwining fingers.

"_Me too."_ Maura smiled reaching out to caress Janes face.

As they hadn't slept much the previous night, they went to bed early.

The case kept them busy for most of the week. They spent their evenings with the kids, either playing games with them or reading books to them. Detective smartasses comment was soon forgotten, and he had started to elude Maura.

Jane awoke on Saturday to Maura's soft and deep breath in her neck. The previous week had been so exhausting that her sleep had been very deep. She mused that she wouldn't even have heard if a bomb had dropped next to her bed. She took her time for waking up, enjoying the blondes embrace, hoping that Maura wouldn't regret her decision to officially accept the job as chief ME of NYC when she woke up.

The blonde's arm was wrapped around her, her legs tugged under Janes knees, the perfect spoon she thought wondering how much time they had, before their bed would be captured by two six-year-old.

Jane felt Maura's hand shifting slowly, until she found a comfortable position on her breasts. A noise between giggle and moan silently left the brunettes lips.

"_Good morning, honey."_ Maura mumbled, waking up slowly too. This didn't quite sound like regret, Jane thought and softy shifted to her back, Maura's hand still resting on her breast. _"Good morning, baby."_ She whispered and smiled. Leaning forward to place a soft kiss on the blonde's forehead.

"Mhmmmm, I like waking up with you." Maura said to her excitement. Jane paused and listened to her heart pumping wild before whispering _"Me too."_ She bit her lips when Maura's hand groped for her breast. This made her a little bit horney, and nervous. Jane wondered if Maura knew what she was touching.

"_I like your hand there, but this is not going to help us to get out of bed soon."_ She giggled when watching Maura realize what she had her hand on. The blonde blushed in embarrassment but Jane held the hand in place by covering it with her own, when the blonde wanted to take it away. She felt the sensation of her body becoming alive in places she hadn't been alive in a long time.

It felt good, and she closed her eyes to enjoy this tiny electrical shot this touch sent through her body. They lay in silence for a few more minutes until Maura had to use the bathroom. Jane got off the bed to check on Julia and Sophie. Both were sitting in their tent, playing with their bears.

"_Hey there."_ Jane smiled at them, as they were crawling towards her. Julia reached her first and she tickled her merciless, like she did every morning, pulling her into a hug. She saw Sophie watching somewhat jealous. So, she let go of her girl and grabbed the little blonde to repeat the procedure. She just loved how they laughed and wound themselves in Joy. And her work earned her two wet kisses on the cheek.

Maura appeared behind her, smiling. _"Good morning sweethearts."_ She said while receiving kisses and hugs too. Jane felt mesmerized by the fact how the girls just accepted the other parent, as if they had always been together.

The blonde nodded when she told her this after breakfast, while cleaning the dishes. Maura had insisted on helping her and Jane found the blonde more than cute in her pajama with the dishtowel in hand.

"_I always wonder if it's in our genes. I know it sounds crazy, and I usually don't believe in such things, but could there be a scientific explanation of why the kids bonded like us, in spite of the differences?" _Maura suddenly asked.

Jane looked puzzled. "_I don't know."_ She said_. "But it's fascinating for sure."_

Maura took a plate out of Janes hand and smiled. _"Anyways, we're screwed, Jane."_

The brunette laughed out loud. Yeah, Maura had a point there. If both were like them, they were in trouble. Maybe not now, but at the latest when they were teenagers.

Jane was in for a slow weekend. Watching movies, eating, talking anything that included not leaving the flat. It had finally started raining. And with the rain, the air cooled down. Therefore, she decided to open the windows. She loved to hear the sound and the smell of the rain and took a deep breath.

It had been a stressful week, with Maura starting the new job, solving the case and all the excitement in their private live. Amelia had offered to take the girls to her parents for the two days in order to give the couple some privacy. As Amelia's parents had a farm Julia and Sophie had been very excited to go.

So, they were eagerly waiting after breakfast for the student to pick them up. Jane sighed when closing the door behind them. She would miss them although she was also happy to have the opportunity to chill.

Maura was flipping through her DVD collection when she came into the living area. _"You have so many of them."_ She said and looked happy. Jane grinned and told her to choose one. She laid down and waited for the blonde who slipped the disc into the device before spooning up with Jane.

"_Sorry Maur."_ The brunette mumbled when becoming aware that she had slept through the first movie entirely. Maura chuckled. _"Don't worry. I must admit that I also dozed off a few times_. _This week was really exhausting." _

Jane nodded making a comment about getting old while Maura stood in front of the shelve, looking for another movie.

The brunette propped up on her elbow to kiss Maura's shoulder which was naked because the blonde was wearing one of Janes tank tops. It was still hot in the apartment, so this type of clothing appeared to be reasonable for the blonde- her words.

Maura hmmmd at Janes kisses and caresses while the movie started playing. Jane sensed that Maura liked it and continued to kiss and caress her, feeling already aroused a bit from the scent and the soft skin. And the memory of Maura's hand on her breast earlier that day.

The hmm sound slowly turned into a soft moan, when jane wrapped her arm around the blonde to pull her closer while tasting her neck. Maura was holding Janes strong hand, while the brunette kept leaving a trail of kisses up to the ear where she started to nibble the lobe. She slipped her hand under the tank top to let her fingers stroll from the stomach up to the breasts, feeling Maura's breath becoming faster and ragged at her touches. Another moan when she slightly twisted one of the nipples with her index finger and thumb. The blondes hip started to move and push against her. Begging and hot.

Maura rolled onto he back and slipped her hand softly behind Janes neck to pull her closer for a passionate kiss. _"Let's move this to the bed."_ Jane said after some slow and deep kisses, her voice husky and deep. Maura nodded and stood taking the offered hand to follow into the other room.

Once in the bedroom Jane grabbed her own tank top and pulled it over her head. the blonde gasped at the site of the breasts and abdominal muscles. Jane watched Maura check her upper body and felt pleased that the blonde liked what she saw. In a second she was at the nightstand and pulled a hair tie out of the top drawer to bind her mane into a ponytail.

When she turned around, she faced Maura's body. The only clothes left were some sexy red lingerie. She silently sucked in some air. Who knew what sexiness was hiding underneath the elegant clothes she thought.

She got rid of her boxers before pushing Maura onto the middle of the bed. She straddled her own legs to put them aside of Maura's hips and leant down to kiss her body. She left a trail downwards from the neck, pausing at the hardened nipples. She massaged one breast while she drew circles with her tongue around the nipple of the other. When she closed her mouth around it and sucked Maura gave a deep groan. Oh my god, Jane thought, this feels so good sensing the pool of wetness between her legs grow with every moan of Maura's.

Jane now shifted position and lay on top of the blonde, putting one leg to the blonde's midst. In a way, that her clit touched Maura's thigh and Maura's hers.

She started to move her hips, grinding her bundle of nerves against Maura. the blonde chimed in, finding the same rhythm, which seemed to become faster with every move. Jane searched her eyes, holding blonde strands out of her lover's face, her elbow resting on the bed. Watching how the expression on Maura's face changed when she came. This was all Jane needed to climax too. Only then she closed her eyes. She couldn't believe it. She had made love to Maura and it had been great.

She moved so that she lay half on top of the panting blonde who had a wide and happy grin plastered on her face. Jane assumed that she looked equally sheepishly. She nuzzled her head into Maura's neck.

The blonde lifted her head to kiss her on the temple. _"I love you Jane."_ She whispered and caressed the brunette's cheek with the back of her hand.

"_I love you too Maur."_ Jane replied looking up, kissing her tenderly onto the mouth.

Maura's grin couldn't be bigger Jane thought as she propped her head on her elbow to look at the blonde_. "I'm your badass, Jane."_

"_Ohhhh yeahhh. But you still get no gun…" _

"unless I sign the papers, get some training and take the liscense. I know." Maura finished the sentence. _"You are going to be surprised if I told you, that I have actually come around and done it."_

"_What?"_ the brunette blinked.

"_Yes."_ The blonde grinned triumphantly. Jane growled playfully and smirked.

"_Frankie taught me how to shoot. It was fun."_ The blonde stated and chuckled. Jane bit her lip and felt jealous. Hell, she could have taught Maura. She had never asked Jane for it.

After spending some time in bed with caressing and talking, they rose to call for Chinese food. Jane was hungry and ordered half of the menus plus dessert and threw on a dressing gown to fetch the food, while Maura was still naked in bed, waiting.

"_What happened to your no food in the bedroom rule?"_ Jane laughed and shoved the piece of a spring roll into her mouth.

Maura chewed and swallowed before answering. _"Gone… useless.. fun killer."_

Jane laughed. _"Yeah. Especially on days like these were you don't want to leave your bed."_ She chuckled.

They quickly cleaned up after lunch and wondered back to the couch to watch another movie. _"I have books too."_ Jane stated when the other film began playing and pointed to the shelve on the other side of the room. She could tell that it wouldn't take long until Maura would check for one she liked.

The rain was raging against the windows and it was cozy under the blanket in front of the TV. Jane hoped that the kids were equally enjoying their day on the farm while wrapping her arm around Maura.

Maura had called the governor yesterday and accepted the job as the chief ME of NYC. Cavanaugh had thanked her several times. But now there was a lot to do, like moving stuff from Boston to NY, organizing a place for Sophie in Julia's class if possible, preparing the house..

The women talked it over after the movie and Maura wrote a list. Jane couldn't believe that they were really doing this and how her life had changed completely over the last few months when watching the blonde taking her notes in her typical fine writing.


	10. Chapter 10

Jane turned the key in the lock and entered the house. She had been able to leave work early, as there was no open case and all the paperwork for the old ones was done. Following an idea she had passed at the morgue to inform Maura about her going home, luring the key out of her to take a look at what had to be done to make the house a home again.

It was a very old house, which the blonde had inherited from some aunt. One could immediately see that it had been a long time since somebody had lived here. Removing a spider webs here and there, the brunette silently walked through the rooms which were spacious and flooded with light. A wooden floor covered the ground and she noted that a modernization had taken place somewhere in the past.

Modern elements melted with old ones to a harmonic interior and made the house very attractive. The entire house was unfurnished, so Jane later sat down to the stairs leading from the deck into the garden to make a list about the tools and materials she needed to bring the next time.

Needless to say that the garden was also completely overgrown and needed a lot of work, like the house. . There were still many days of her holidays to consume and she noticed that she would need many of them to give this place a makeover in order to make it livable again.

But Jane didn't mind the work, she found it soothing and loved to see how things transformed into something beautiful just by the touch of her hands. The only thing which bothered her a little was the heat.

She got up after sitting there for a while, just relaxing and dreaming, noticing that it was time for her appointment with the therapist.

Later she picked up Julia and Sophie from Amelia's and spent some time playing with them until it was time to cook dinner.

By the time Maura came home everything was ready and they sat at the table, talking about their day.

"_Ma, when are we going to play thorn and rose again?"_ Julia spoke up when there was a short pause during the chatter. Maura who was about to drink some water looked up_. "Thorn and rose?"_ she asked puzzled.

"_Yeah, we used to play it every day at dinner. You have to say what bothered you during the day, that's the thorn and then you tell what you liked especially."_ Julia smartly explained.

"_I like that!"_ Sophie exclaimed. _"Can we play it?"_

"_Sure! I like it too."_ Maura said giving Jane a smile. _"Who wants to start?"_

"_So, thorn and rose?"_ Maura asked later that evening when they settled at the couch. It had become a habit to sit down and talk when the kids were in bed since the blondes had kind of moved in with the brunettes. Jane noticed that the TV was hardly used anymore. But she couldn't say that she was unhappy about it. She loved their talks which usually were about their daily lives and their past. Customarily there was a lot of fun and teasing. But sometimes it was also heavy and sad, seeing as their past contained quite some thorns like tonight.

Jane rubbed the bridge of her nose. _"Yeah, it was an idea of my therapist when Julia had a phase were she bottled up._" The brunette smiled sadly. _"She got bullied at school."_

She glanced at Maura whose expression changed from surprised to sad. _"Julia got bullied once too. I remember how horrible it was. It took me some effort to convince the teachers to do something against it."_

"_Yeah, me too. Teachers suck sometimes. But the game helped a lot."_

Maura nodded. _"It's a good idea. I'm glad the girls have found friendship with each other."_

The brunette smiled. _"Yeah. I've never seen her that happy before to be honest."_

A comfortable silence lingered between them as Maura grabbed Janes hand. Jane spoke up after a while telling Maura about her plans for the house. She would have the next day off as well and wanted to start with the garden.

"_The girls can help. It will be a lot of fun for them."_ She stated, gently rubbing her thumb over Maura's hand. Summer holidays had started a few days ago and Jane wanted to use the opportunity to spend time with the girls.

"_That's a great idea."_ Maura said, smiling_. "I wish I could join you too."_

"_That would be great."_ Jane said and sighed.

"_Maybe I can leave a bit earlier tomorrow. I'll bring sandwiches."_ Maura stated with a gleam in her eyes. "_I'm a good painter you know."_

Jane smiled looking down at Maura's hands. _"These are very talented."_ She said, continuing to caress the hand which lay in hers.

Maura blushed slightly at the compliment. We might be different in many ways Jane thought but we have this in common: we can't handle compliments.

When Maura's alarm went off the next morning, Jane got up while the blonde was in the bathroom to surprise her with coffee. The blonde left her credit card to the brunette when hearing that they were off to get some stuff to paint and for gardening before heading to the house. Julia and Sophie were overexcited because of the plans of the day, appearing to the breakfast in rubber boots.

Maura and Jane laughed. _"I'm going to make them change into some reasonable clothes before leaving._" Jane mumbled when they kissed goodbye. Maura laughed again, shaking her head.

Shopping with one kid could be exhausting, if you had two to take care off you had double trouble Jane noticed while walking through the aisles. The children were still very excited about the project and the fact that they would get to help so it became difficult to have them sit still in order to buckle them up. Jane had a lot of fun with them. She only got them to sit still after tickling them.

When they were at the house she decided to start with the painting. Julia and Sophie helped her for a while until it became boring to them. Then they wandered off to play in the garden.

She was so busy listening to the voices from outside and painting that she didn't hear Maura coming into the room. The brunette got a heart attack when she turned to see the blonde standing in the doorframe, clearly checking her out in her tight shorts and her tank top.

"_God, Maur. You almost gave me a heart attack."_ She said, happy to see her, and went over to kiss the blonde. "_I'm sorry."_ the blonde chuckled. _"But you were so cute, I couldn't help but enjoy the sight."_

Jane snorted leaving a trail of beige color on Maura's nose before kissing her once more. The blonde laughed. _"You are a bad girl Jane Clementine Rizzoli."_ She said and tried to get rid of the color.

"_Yeah, that's what many people say_." Jane smiled cheekily. _"And some people love me because of it._" She wiggled her eyebrows. _"Do I smell lunch?"_ she changed the subject.

Maura pulled up some bags containing take away from a Chinese restaurant as an answer, grinning.

"_Uhh, you're really the best!"_ she mumbled following the blonde to the deck. Everybody dug in immediately. Hungry from whatever they were doing. Due to a lack of cutlery and plates they ate directly out of the boxes with their chopsticks.

"_I have to go back to work later." _Maura quietly said after the kids had taken off when finished.

"_The whole morgue and lab need a workover. And I got stuck with a case this morning."_ Jane nodded taking the blondes hand as they were sitting next to each other on the steps. Their tights and knees were touching.

"_Maybe you get to go earlier tomorrow."_ She smiled at the blonde hoping to cheer her up a bit, gently playing with her fingers which were enlaced. Leading them to her mouth to kiss them.

"_I hope so."_ Maura said and stood. Jane thanked her for taking the time to eat with them. Then she continued painting the living room.

Later that afternoon her phone rang, and she picked up with a bad feeling. She had gotten the day off but was still on call. She glanced at the room which was all nice and beige now and grunted. _"Rizzoli."_

"_I'm coming."_ She stated, calling Amelia to ask if it was okay to bring the kids. It always was and she thanked god for sending her to her. She showered quickly, changing into a suit and drove off to find Maura's Prius already at the crime scene.

"_Hey there."_ She greeted the blonde who was examining the body.

"_Hey Jane."_ The blonde said, picking some fiber from the victim's shirt. Jane fetched an evidence bag and opened it in silence.

"_Sorry for your long day."_ She quietly said, seeing that Maura was looking tired and stressed.

The blonde shot her a quick smile. "_At least I had a nice lunchtime."_ She stated and caused Jane to smile.

_Yeah? Wanna tell me about it?_ she wanted to ask teasingly but didn't, knowing that Slotter, her partner, was watching them. She had no clue how much longer they would be able to make others believe that they were just former colleagues from Boston. She tried to focus on Maura's doings, knowing that the blonde would be home long before her tonight at that she would miss her.

"_I'll do the autopsy tomorrow morning."_ Maura announced to the detectives while glancing at her watch. Slotter who had a barbeque planned seemed to be relieved, leaving Jane the work of finding out as much as possible about the victim. It was far beyond 10 pm when the brunette had completed the task. She dropped her pen on the desk and grabbed her jacket to leave the precinct with a deep sigh.

Julia and Sophie were already asleep. Maura as well when she slipped into her spot next to the blonde after kissing everybody good night. The blonde turned around to wrap an arm around the brunette and hummed. Jane sighed at the perfectness of this moment.

Everybody in the squad room looked up, when they heard the sound of the ME's high heels in the corridor. Maura had quickly become a prey for the men at the precinct. No day passed without invitation for coffee or dinner. It somehow filled the brunette with pride that she was to be the girlfriend of the wonderful woman who entered the squad room in her stunning costume.

"_Good morning."_ The blonde greeted them all friendly and Jane saw how Slotter was checking her ass as she walked over to her desk. _"Coffee, Dr. Isles?"_ he asked with a sweet smile.

Maura turned and glanced at him, denying the offer politely while looking at the white board and its pictures. Jane wondered why she had come in person to deliver the results of her autopsy.

"_Because I wanted to see you."_ Maura replied her question later at the bistro. They had to pass on lunch because of too much work, but they managed a good coffee in the afternoon. Jane was delighted to hear that and tugged at her ponytail which started to loosen up a little. When Maura and she had met and BPD she always had had a ponytail but ended up keeping her hair open as the blonde had once mentioned that she liked Jane better that way.

Somehow the habit of the ponytail had come back anyways, and she glanced at Maura who had an unreadable face. Something seemed to cloud her thoughts and Jane asked if she was all right.

Maura kept her eyes on her coffee, stirring and Jane started rubbing the palms of her hands sensing the stress.

"_No, I'm not."_ Maura admitted, a haunted look in her hazel eyes_. "Constance called. She wants to meet me in order to talk."_ The blonde sighed.

"_And now you don't know what to do?"_ the brunette guessed, reaching for her cookie.

Maura looked up and nodded. _"I'm so tired of fighting, Jane. And tired of this feeling to never be enough."_ She said and pursed her lips.

The brunette took Maura's hands into hers and was silent for a bit. _"Oh Maur. I'm sorry. I perfectly understand you." _

"_I know. I just wished she would give me time to think about how to react. She'll be here tomorrow."_

"_No matter what decision you take, Maur, I have your back. If you want to go and need me, I come with you. But its also okay to say to go alone ore even say no. She can't just expect that you are dropping everything when she decides to have time for you. That's not okay."_ The brunette cautiously said.

Maura shot a sad glance out of the window while Jane kept caressing her hands.

"_I don't want to see her. But then again I think what if she wants to apologize." _

Jane bit her lips. That was exactly the reason why it was so difficult to give Maura advice. She had run from her mother and stayed away from Boston. But at the end she had never ceased giving Angela a chance in the hope that her mother would change by picking up the phone or writing her messages.

"_Its natural for children to hope to be loved by their parents. Even if the children are grown-ups."_ Maura stated and Jane nodded.

When she came home later that evening Maura had left some delicious smelling food on the counter with a note that she had already gone to bed. The brunette sighed as she put the plate into the microwave in order to heat it up. It was late and the case was consuming a lot of time. Time which she would have rather used to cheer Maura up.

Julia and Sophie paddled into the kitchen, when she was pouring herself some juice, leaning thoughtful against the counter of the kitchen.

"_Hey, sweethearts. I thought you were already fast asleep." _She smiled at them realizing how much she had missed them. When she had checked earlier the light had been out and it had been silent when she gave them their good night kisses.

"_I hope I didn't wake you up."_ She said. Both tilted their heads to say no. The brunette noticed how they were wearing a ponytail too, wondering if they imitated her or if this was just coincidence.

Sitting down at the table she found one girl on each side of her. "_Do you want some?"_ she asked, pointing to her plate. Again, they tilted their heads so that their ponytails swaggered.

"_Thorn and rose?_" she asked before shoving a fork of pasta into her mouth. Like twins they now nodded synchronically_. "All right. Who wants to go first?"_ she asked smiling at them.

Julia started, telling Jane that they had met some boys at the swimming pool today who had made fun of them. By the look on Sophies face it was also her thorn. Jane took a sip from her juice and thought about it.

"_But Julia defended us!"_ Sophie said with a grin, apparently switching to rose. Julia grinned too. _"Yeah. I told them that my ma was a cop and that you could incar… in?"_ Julia rubbed her head. "_That you would throw them into jail."_ She finished her sentence.

"_Oh!"_ Jan said.

"_Yeah, and then they left us alone. Such babies!"_ Sophie chuckled.

"_Good."_ Jane stated sending them reassuring smiles. " The brunette shoved the last fork into her mouth and then got up to wash her plate allowing the kids to watch half an hour of TV before bedtime.

She went to the bedroom and entered it after knocking on the door. Maura was in bed, reading a book. _"Hey baby, how are you doing?"_ she gently asked and sat next to her. The blonde gave a deep sigh_. "I wrote Constance that I'm busy tomorrow."_ She said and her pained look melted Janes heart.

"_Come here."_ She mumbled and embraced her. She felt Maura's heart beating fast, when she held her tight and softly rocked her.

"_I have given her so many chances."_ Maura cried to her neck. "_You know what she replied when I told her that I had stuff to do?"_ Jane tilted her head in no as the girls had done earlier fearing the worst. _"She said that I should be ashamed of myself, and that I'm no longer the daughter she has raised."_

Jane, who knew that Maura had always done her best to please the woman must feel devasted and hurt by this rejection. She might have acted strong after the string concert, but how could it not hurt her?

"_It's okay, Maur."_ She whispered, still rocking her and kissing her forehead repeatedly until the sobs ceased slowly. _"I'm really sorry and I know that it hurts."_

Maura nodded. At first Jane had thought that the blonde was hiding because she wanted to be alone. But it hit her somehow, that she didn't want the kids to see her so desperate. Like she had hidden when crying so many months ago, not wanting Julia to see her tears.

She left when recalling that the girls were still in front of the TV. She would tuck the girls in and promised to come right back afterwards.

"_Is mommy very sick?"_ Sophie asked, a worried look on her face. _"She told us that she goes to bed because she is sick."_ Julia added at Janes puzzled look.

"_Naw, she's going to be okay. Don't worry."_ She reassured Maura's daughter.

Both girls nodded to her chest as she was half laying in between them ready to read them a story.

When she returned to the bedroom, she had showered and was in her tank top and panties. Maura was emerged into one of the books she had pointed out to her the other day.

Jane glanced at the cover to recognize the novel about romance and chuckled. She had been surprised by herself that she liked some of these stories and books. And she could tell that the blonde loved them too.

"_Thorns and roses."_ She dared Maura after a while, laying on her back in her favorite position with her arms crossed under her head.

Maura first shot her a _seriously Jane?_ look, then put the book aside sighing.

"_I know your thorn, Maur. But there must be something positive about this day too, right?"_ she opened her arms to let Maura snuggle in.

The blonde was silent for a while before whispering into the half dark bedroom. "_You Jane, you and the kids. You are my rose. You are my family" _She quietly said. The brunette blushed in surprise, then a smile covered her face. Although it sounded strange if she called them her family. This seemed to be a big step. But on the other side: somehow, they had always been like family back then in Boston.

"_Sounds strange doesn't it?"_ Maura chuckled. _"But it's true."_

Jane cleared her throat, feeling touched by these words. _"Yeah. Its true."_ She kissed Maura's forehead, caressing her head, smiling into the room.

"_Thank you for loving me, Jane. Thank you for having my back and supporting me."_ the blonde said, when Jane had extinguished the light and wrapped her arms around Maura to spoon up.

"_You're welcome, Dr. Isles."_ She mumbled, still smiling. Maura covered the brunette's arm with her hand and stroke over the soft skin. Jane nuzzled her head into the blonde's neck.

The brunette woke up to the sound of rain crashing against the window. Maura was still fast asleep, and the Jane listened to her even breaths. It was Saturday. They had decided to buy a bunk bed for the girls today. Maybe later they would pass by the house to paint another room.

After enjoying the coziness for a while she reached for her phone to see that it was 8 am. Time to make some breakfast she thought and unwind her tall body of their entanglement, sneaking out of the room to find Julia and Sophie sitting at the coffee table. They were drawing pictures. She tickled and hugged them before starting with some preparations.

Cooking breakfast wasn't that interesting anymore to the children, Jane noticed as she found herself alone in the kitchen with all the work. Maura walked in, still sleepy when the scrambled eggs were almost finished. The brunette chuckled as she kissed her good morning handing her a bowl of cereals with yoghurt – Maura's favorite breakfast.

Jane smiled at her reassuringly and gave her a quick backrub before the four of them moved to the table.


	11. Chapter 11

Shopping on a Saturday was always a challenge Jane thought, glancing at all the people walking around in the Swedish furniture home. Maura didn't seem to mind at all though, holding on to her purse, dressed in an elegant outfit as always as if prepared for a photoshoot for a catalogue. The brunette noticed how the heads were turning here and there stealing glances at the blonde, who didn't seem to notice. She smiled to herself. That woman was just gorgeous.

The brunette merely escaped being rolled over by a stroller by stepping aside skillfully and groaned when Maura took a turn to the couches exposed to the right of their path. Their main purpose was to find a bunk bed for the girls, but as the house needed furniture too, Maura took her time looking around while Jane would have preferred to walk straight through.

Slumping down on a couch which interested her, she noticed how her love was still in a turmoil. Instead of scolding Jane she focused on the furniture with a pursed lip. Julia and Sophie crawled onto the couch next to her, feigning to be experts in buying furniture which made Jane grin. It was interesting to see how they interacted with each other. Sometimes it was a lot like Maura and she were# and how they complemented each other.

Both girls decided that this was no couch for them, because it was to uncomfortable. They slipped of it under the watchful eyes of the brunette and hopped onto the next one, which was pink and had a strangely shaped armrest.

"_How so you like this one?"_ Maura said pointing to a greyish one in the far corner of the room. Jane walked over to it and sat down. _"Its nice."_ She said, patting the spot next to her as an invitation for Maura to sit down next to her. The blonde hesitated and glanced around as if she was about to do something forbidden when she sat down. Jane crossed her leg and took Maura's hand, using the opportunity to calm her down a bit.

She didn't need to glance at her watch to know that this was the time where Constance had wanted to meet up with her. To her surprise Maura hummed and kissed Jane. Caressing always helped to soothe Maura she thought with a smile as they moved on to the next department.

After surviving two whole hours of shopping, Jane loaded their purchases into her SUV, while Maura had gone to use the bathroom with the kids. Next, they would go and buy new clothes for them as they were outgrowing their actual ones. Jane hated shopping per se, but she thought that it was fun with the family.

She took a picture with her mobile, when Maura came out of the building, holding Julia's and Sophies hand. The brunette had to wait as the blonde had to tie one of Julius shoelaces. A soft smile was tugging on the corners of her mouth, when they walked towards the car.

Jane opened the door so that Sophie could take her usual spot behind the driver's seat, while Maura helped Julia on the other side. At the beginning each mum had helped their own kid. But after always standing in the way of each other, they had laughed and decided that tis was the better solution. The kids didn't mind. Sophie was talking about what she had seen on TV the other night, while Julia looked exhausted.

"_Maybe we just drive home and buy the clothes somewhere next week."_ Jane suggested driving out of the parking lot. Seeing as to how Julia's eyes slowly closed Maura agreed.

By the time they arrived at the apartment Sophie had closed her eyes too.

The brunette was leaning against the kitchen counter, drinking coffee and reading the assembly instructions while the girls were taking a nap in the master bedroom. Maura was doing some cleaning and took care of the dirty laundry in the meantime.

Whenever they crossed paths they touched and smiled at each other. After two hours Jane showed Maura the finished bunk bed. The old bed was also already in the SUV, waiting to be reassembled in the house. But first the room needed a new floor and fresh painting.

Feeling lazy they settled with the kids in front of the TV watching a documentary about ancient Egypt in the afternoon. The rain was still falling heavy down to Boston and Jane noticed how Maura pulled a blanket from the armrest, automatically covering herself and Jane with it.

As none of them wanted to cook they ordered Pizza to the kids delight. And so, the Saturday was nice and relaxing. At least until it was time for the girls to go to bed.

"_What's the matter?"_ Jane stopped and popped her head into the kids room to find Julia and Sophie standing red-faced glaring at each other. She had been on her way to shower, when she had heard the girls fight for the first time. Julia immediately came to her with tears in her eyes. _"I wanted to take the top of the bunk bed, but Sophie claims its hers."_ The little eyes were darting accusingly towards the blonde six-year-old who was close to tears too.

Jane felt Maura entering the room behind her, looking at the girls. _"All right."_ Jane said with a calm tone, sensing that Julia was assuming that she as her mother would take her side. But as it would have been unfair, she proposed to play rock, paper, scissors in order to solve the problem.

Maura shot her a grateful look, agreeing with Jane, that the parents wouldn't interfere. The kids clearly didn't appreciate their attitude, shooting wild looks to their own mothers. Jane felt relieved that the blonde was on the same page here. This could have easily been the first time they fought since dating. Both kids were equal to each of them. Taking their kids side would only transfer the fight to their level but wouldn't really help the matter.

"_Or, you change beds every month. So, each of you would get a turn to sleep on the top."_ Maura suggested as another solution. Jane watched how the girls became silent, considering the suggestion.

She rolled her eyes when her stubborn little kid took on a defiant tone when saying that this was okay if she got to start. Which made Sophie turn angry, and before Maura and Jane knew, they were fighting again.

"_For heavens sake, just stop it."_ Jane interrupted the insults exchanged. She was not a fan of speaking up with children. But as they clearly didn't listen, she shouted a clear _Stop it_! Her hands were raised in front of her body and her palms were showing towards the kids.

Julia and Sophie became silent, looking at the brunette who was now rubbing the bridge of her nose. _"Did you mind sharing a bed?"_ she asked earning astonished glances form the other three standing in the room.

"_No"_ both said simultaneously and looked at each other.

"_So, why don't you both sleep on the upper bed?"_ she asked.

The girls smiled_. "Yeah!"_ Sophie said smarty. _"See, I told you. Ma has a solution to every problem" _Jane rolled her eyes as they climbed the little ladder to the top, looking mighty happy. Thank god there was a rail, so that they couldn't fall out of bed she thought.

Tucking in the girls became a challenge though, Jane climbed the first part of the ladder to receive some wet good night kisses, then watched Maura do the same.

She sighed and went to shower. By the time the blonde was done showering a candle was burning on the nightstand as only light in the room. The brunette could tell that Maura liked it.

"_Sorry, I had no other idea."_ She apologetically smiled at the blonde who made herself comfortable in bed next to her. Maura grinned. "_It wasn't exactly why we bought the bed, but I'm glad that you stopped their fighting." _

Jane opened her arm so that Maura could snuggle in and giggled. She was mighty proud of how they had handled the situation and said so. Maura smiled when lifting her head to give Jane a gentle kiss saying that she was proud too.

It was clear that there would be many more situations in the future which would challenge them, but the brunette was sure that they would manage them. If this was to work out, they all had to adjust and take care of each other.

Her mouth became somewhat dry because she felt uncomfortable about Julia saying that she always had a solution to every problem. She hadn't, and her girl would find out one day. Laying in silence she thought that this would be one of the marking points where their relationship would change which was only natural because it was helping the children on their way to independency as her therapist had once told her.

Jane had brought up the subject because it had been a point which troubled her, and she was unsure about telling Julia that she was far from being perfect so that the girl wouldn't be too deceived when finding out. But the therapist had suggested not to do so. _"You'll be fine. You'll see."_ She had said and patted the brunette's knees. Jane could only hope that she was right.

Seeing how Maura sometimes struggled with the same fears also helped. Also, to talk about it with someone who understood and was in the same position. She felt how the blonde silently squeezed her hand, which was entwined with hers, as if knowing what Jane was thinking. Or maybe thinking about the same. Either way, it felt good. She squeezed the blonde's hand and sighed as she watched the candlelight cast strange shadows to the ceiling.

Jane gently untangled herself from the snuggle to give Maura a passionate kiss. Desire was flaming up quickly, and soon their hands were moving gently over each other's bodies. Soft moans started to fill the room as the heat rose between them. It hit Jane that sometimes they were so busy with their lives that they almost forgot about the beautiful things like making loves. She made a mental note to invite Maura for another date before loosing herself in the process of making love.

Afterwards they lay naked in each other's arms and Jane listened to two heartbeats which were still fast.

"_Ma, will Maura and Sophie join us on our vacation?"_ Julia asked during breakfast the next morning. _Shit!_ Jane thought as she had forgotten their plans. There were only two more weeks left for preparation if they wanted to go.

"_What have you planned?"_ Maura asked curiously over her bowl.

"_We planned to go camping and hiking in our holidays."_ Janes said calmly expecting Maura not to like it. She waited in anticipation for the reaction of the blonde. Sophie was all excited asking Maura if they could join. Basically, she and Julia started to chat about what they were going to take without waiting for the blondes respond.

Jane couldn't help but chuckle when seeing Maura furrowed eyebrows. _"Camping?"_ she asked and smirked.

"_Yes."_ Jane replied smiling and her dimples flashed. She weighted the chances for Maura to say yes to the trip by considering that the ME was usually very open minded.

"_You mean sleeping in wild nature, protected by just a small layer of plastic?"_ Maura frowned and Jane laughed saying yes again. _"Its fun!"_ Jane said to Maura who now pursed her lips, deep in thought.

"_Yes!"_ Julia chimed in. "_It will be a great adventure. Last year, we found lots of interesting animals."_ Jane smiled at her daughter thinking that this might trigger Maura who would like the scientific side of the journey. But she shrieked when Julia went on to tell about monster spiders, snakes and other animals which as Jane knew usually put the fear of god into the blonde. Maura literally dropped her spoon into the bowl when the kid exaggerated by adding that bears and wolves were living where they would go.

Jane was almost sure now, that the Isles part of the family wasn't going to be in for their trip, when Maura took up her spoon to continue her breakfast stating that she would give it a though. At least this didn't mean a no right away she thought and decided to give Maua time to think about it.

"_Bears and wolves?"_ Maura asked later when they were standing in one of the girls' rooms, painting. The sun was shining, and Julia and Sophie were helping with the garden by picking weeds. Their laughter drifted into the room along with a soft summer breeze.

"_No, I don't think that there are any where we planned to stay. At least I hope so."_ Jane replied turning to Maura who was wearing one of her shorts and tank top. She found the fact that Maura possessed three times more clothes than she and still had no work clothes quite fascinating and amusing. And she thought that this kind of leisure style looked very strange but yet good on the blonde.

They had almost finished the room, when Maura spoke up again. _"Okay. We're coming with you. But I will bring a gun to defend myself…"_ Jane first thought that Maura was serious because it made perfect sense but then she saw how the edges of the blondes mouth tugged treacherously and both started to laugh. _"Just promise me though to keep all spiders, snakes and other animals that I hate away from me."_ Maura said and pointed with the finger to her.

Jane promised and still chuckled when wrapping Maura into her arms to kiss her. "_I'm a bit nervous of something else though._" Maura confided in Jane when breaking the kiss.

"_Its our first real holiday together."_ Jane mouthed what Maura was thinking.

"_There is a statistic about how many couples break up after the first holiday together."_ the blonde said and wanted to cite some numbers, but Jane pulled up her hands to stop her.

"_No, its going to be fine_." She just said, not wanting to hear about numbers, feeling a bit scared too. What could possibly happen? She then thought. Their bond had survived so many things. This was nonsense Jane thought further, convinced that it was. She shook her head and picked up painting her wall again.

For the next thirty minutes or so, she focused on planning their vacation, dreaming of nature and adventure already imagining themselves sitting by a romantic campfire.

When she was done with her part of the room, she stepped back to have a look to all four walls. Instead of the walls she noticed how Maura grinned at her_. "I never saw you smile and whistle so much before." _The blonde stated, stepping up next to the brunette kissing her cheek and taking her hand. Maybe because I never felt that happy before, she silently thought, not mouthing her thoughts.

"_Looks nice. What do you think?"_ Jane said instead without elaborating the source of her happiness, assuming that Maura knew. The blonde focused on the walls and found that they looked great.

Jane suggested food and coffee before starting with the second room of the girls. Maura nodded. _"Chinese?"_ she asked with a smile, knowing that Jane was fond of it.

They gathered Sophie and Julia on the deck when the food had arrived. Both were covered in all kind of dirt, which meant that there would be a long bath for them later. But Jane just felt happy when looking into their beaming eyes. She thought of her own childhood, where dirty because of playing outside was normal and it felt good to know that Sophie and Julia had a chance to grow up the same way, without spending all their time in front of TV or playing video games.

After lunch Jane switched the radio on and started dancing around while painting the next room. Maura followed soon. The girls screamed _"Partyyyyyyyyy!"_ when entering after hearing the music and immediately joined in. The brunette lifted Julia to the air for a dance. Her daughter giggled in joy, showing the same dimples as Jane when doing so.

They were singing and dancing, acting as if they had a microphone in their hands until they couldn't stop laughing.

This had been the perfect Sunday Jane thought as she replayed it in her mind. She took a sip of beer and sighed, stretching out on the couch. Shame that weekends had to be so short. Maura appeared a towel around her head, reaching for the glass of wine the brunette had already prepared for her.

"_I came to the conclusion that I will have to buy some clothes for our vacation."_ The blonde stated. Jane chuckled. _"Ah, you mean that your skirts and high heels won't be helpful when running away from the bears and wolves?"_ she teased.

Maura smirked and nudged the brunette slightly. "_No, I just thought about how adventurous the whole family seems to be and that it might hurt your ego, if I climbed up the tree faster than you in my skirt when we are all running from the bears."_

"_Speak for yourself woman!"_ Jane laughed when picturing the scene described by Maura. "_We Rizzolis never run. Never! The bears will fear me, if we should encounter one at all."_

"_Are you sure? The bear will probably see a nice lunch in you."_ Maura playfully raised an eyebrow earning a snort from Jane. They both couldn't hold back their laughter any longer.

"_I have no clue what I need. Maybe you come with me to buy some stuff?"_ Maura became serious again.

Shopping for clothes with Maura usually meant spending half a day rushing from store to store, watching her try on thousands of pieces which was a torture to Jane who was an impatient person. But Jane loved that woman, so she agreed to join her.

Maybe they would need a box to the roof of the car to have additional space for their stuff. Last year the car was already crammed with the stuff of Julia and herself. It gave her a strange but excited feeling and made her happy to see how things developed.

The following week had passed quickly with them falling into a routine of going to work, while Amelia took care of Julia and Sophie. Maura and Jane managed to come home by 5 pm usually, taking care of the kids and cooking. Thorn and Rose had also become part of their daily dinner routine. Afterwards they played games or did something else with the kids until it was time for bed. Jane and Maura then usually spent one or two hours on the couch with talking, cuddling – and sometimes when they were too tired from the day just watching a movie.

Jane was happy when Friday came along. She had asked Maura for a date and the blonde had insisted on planning it, so she was a bit scared and excited at the same time, when she stood in the shower, getting ready for whatever awaited her that evening. She took her time choosing her clothes for tonight while Maura was headed to the bathroom.

"_Just put on something casual."_ The blonde had told her with a wink, which made the detective in Jane assume that they were going to do something she liked, like some sort of sport. If she would have been the one to plan, she would have gone for a fancy dinner, realizing how they tried to find something to make the other one happy. She smiled and decided for some simple black jeans and a white T-shirt.

"_Ma, can we go with Amelia to her parents farm tomorrow? They got a baby donkey."_ Julia asked as she emerged from the master bedroom. _"Yes, pleaaaaaaaaase."_ Sophie added with pleading dog eyes.

"_Have you asked Maura?"_ she asked, and both tilted their heads.

"_Asked me what?"_ the blonde looked questioning with a towel wrapped around her head to dry her hair.

Jane chuckled as the girls repeated their question and pleading. She slightly nodded when Maura shot her a look.

"_Is Amelia okay with it?"_ the blonde asked, and both said yes. _"She invited us in fact."_ Sophie stated.

"_Well in this case its okay, right Jane?_" she said, and Jane smiled. _"Sure."_

The girls wohooed all the way to the kitchen to give Amelia the news. Jane following them silently to ask if it was really okay for the student and her parents.

She loosened up when Amelia confirmed that she had mentioned the baby donkey, and that it was okay for her to have them on the farm over the weekend.

"_So, its shopping tomorrow."_ Jane said when they were in the car on their way to the mystery destination. Her hand rested comfortably on Maura's Jeans and Jane noticed that the blonde was wearing a more casual blouse than usually. Casual but sexy she thought, biting her lip. There were many things besides shopping which crossed her mind and she sub-consciously licked her lips when images what she wanted to do with the doctor flooded her brain.

The brunette heard Maura chuckle and caught her looking to her direction.

"_Something tells me, that its not only going to be shopping."_ She teased the brunette who grinned.

"_Maybe."_ She replied vaguely, changing the subject to something less dirty feeling already far too aroused from the pictures in her mind.

"_Anyways, whatever you were just dreaming off Jane. I'm in!"_ the blonde said with a silent giggle, still sticking to the previous conversation.

"_Oh great, so I'm getting breakfast in bed, followed by a thorough massage before we go shopping."_ Jane teased.

Maura laughed_. "Before shopping? I thought you would rather need one after shopping."_

"_Yeah, actually before and after."_ Jane corrected herself, grinning at Maura playing along.

"_Right."_ Maura said and pretended a smirk_. "And what are you dreaming off at night, detective?"_

Jane laughed out loud. _"Maybe I show you tomorrow."_ She glanced when Maura turned onto a parking lot of a place called _"12 to win."_ This didn't mean anything to her, and she wrecked her brain what the blonde was possibly up to.

They walked into a lounge where young people were slumped into couches sipping cocktail and all sorts of beverages containing alcohol. They walked straight on to a counter. _"I reserved for Isles."_ Maura said to the young man who looked bored.

"_Shoe size?"_ he asked moving a toothpick to the edge of his mouth. The neon sign above him read Welcome, but only the come was still enlightened which made Jane chuckle as she linked it to the conversation in the car on their way there. She tried to hide a childish grin from Maura, but then pointed to the sign as the blonde looked puzzled. Maura blushed slightly and started to chuckle.

So, bowling, Jane thought. This confirmed her assumption that the date would have something to do with an activity from which Maura thought she would enjoy. _"I've never done this before."_ Jane said while they were waiting for their shoes.

Maura looked surprised making Jane think, that the blonde assumed that the brunette had already done all kind of things. "_Me neither. But I read up the rules."_ Maura said in a typical Dr. Isles serious manner.

Jane glanced around them seeing how professional all people looked like when throwing the ball. She cleared her throat and listened to Maura's explanation of the rules picturing how her bowling ball was going to land on one of the lanes.

"_You go first."_ Maura said when her monologue was finished. Jane smirked. Right. The doctor was clearly a bit scared and Jane had to do the first move. She chuckled about the pair they made when grabbing one of the bowling balls. She was surprised by its weight and tried another one which appeared to be heavier.

All right she thought. You can do this Rizzoli she prepped herself silently shooting one more glance to the right to study a young girls' movements. All right she thought again and gave her best not to look like a bloody amateur when releasing the bowling ball. To her relieve it landed in the middle of their lane and rolled fast towards the cones or whatever they were called.

She was about to cheer because it was looking good, the ball was rolling in the midst of the lane until it somehow turned to the left and disappeared without even touching a cone. Great! She thought as she took another one of the shelves after being informed by a grinning Maura that she had another try.

This time she managed to hit two. When it was Maura's turn she watched how the blonde took her time, breathed and focused and hit 7 cones right away. The blonde turned around with a happy grin plastered to her face.

Not to mock Jane, the brunette knew it was just because she was proud of herself. The blonde saw things like this as a challenge, and perfectionism was in her nature, so she was happy when she mastered another challenge succesfully. But since knowing Jane her perfectionism was in a raging war with having fun. Maura had experienced that fun sometimes war more important than success. Or like she had explained to Jane once: if you have fun, success comes by itself.

"_Your turn, detective."_ Maura said.

"_That's highly unfair Dr. Isles."_ The brunette said with a teasing tone. _"You kept this a secret, and I'm pretty sure that you prepared yourself thoroughly."_

Maura blushed. "_I only watched some videos and read the rules. But if you want, I can show you the technique."_ She stated.

Jane liked the way Maura was standing close to her from behind. First, the blonde had stood next to her and demonstrated some movements. But Jane recalled the batting cage and smiled to herself. She could do the same as the blonde. The result was that feeling Maura's heat in her back and smelling her scent drove Jane crazy so that she couldn't focus on her lesson. Somehow the bowling ball slipped off her sweaty fingers and dropped right onto her toe. Hell, that hurt.

"_Aren't these shoes supposed to protect your feet somehow?"_ she growled while Maura had her sit on a bench, crouching to take her shoe off. "_Oh my."_ the blonde mumbled when seeing the bloody socks. "_I'm sorry Jane."_ Maura said trying to stay serious but Janes facial expression which was a mixture of disbelief and a raised eyebrow made her laugh.

"_Yeah."_ Jane tried to stay serious too. But she had to giggle even though it hurt like hell. _"As if I'm ever going onto one of your dates again."_ She smirked playfully.

Maura examined the toe. "_Do you want me to drive you to the hospital Jane? I think its broken."_

"_How is it treated?"_ Jane asked, not really wanting to spend the rest of the night in a crowded waiting area if Maura could take care of it herself. But as Maura insisted on having some x-rays taken Jane sighed and slowly limped to the car on one foot and her arm resting on Maura's shoulder.

Two hours later they were back at home. Jane slumping to the couch, eying the bandage and her swollen toe. Maura brought her some ice and a cold beer, apologizing once more. Jane took her hand. _"Its okay. Its not your fault. Technically I dropped the bowling ball onto my toe myself_."

They ended the evening by snuggling and watching a true crime show.

The next morning Jane awoke to the heavenly smell of coffee. When she opened one eye, she saw a tray containing fresh rolls, butter, ham, scrambled eggs and a lot more delicious food in front of her. A single rose served as decoration. Jane rubbed her eyes as she thought that she must still be sleeping until Maura asked if she wanted Jane to pinch her. The brunette smiled_. "Not necessary_." She said and yawned.

"_Good morning, honey."_ The blonde gently said, kissing Janes cheek.

"_Good morning to you too, baby."_ She beamed, thanking Maura for the breakfast and for handling the kids.

Afterwards, Maura brought the tray to the kitchen and came back with her laptop. _"Change of plans."_ She announced and Jane watched her open the website of an online store. _"Your toe needs rest, so we might do some online shopping."_ The blonde said, looking to the brunette who stuffed some pillows to her back to make herself comfortable liking the idea.

The blonde asked her what she would need, and Jane walked her through, having no idea how fashionable outdoor wear could be. After one hour of power shopping, Maura put her device aside.

"_As far as I remember your dream contained a massage?"_ she cheekily asked Jane who was rubbing the bridge of her nose_. "You need glasses, honey. This is not good for your eyes."_

The brunette snorted, feeling old. "_No way. I can see very well_." She protested and was glad that Maura let it go_. "Massage?"_ she offered once more, rubbing her hands to warm them up.

Jane beamed and took off her tank top, enjoying the doing of Maura's skilled hands. Maura later turned her to the back, straddling her legs to sit on top of her. The sight of Maura made her hot. The blonde was only wearing red silk panties and a t-shirt. As Maura lifted her arms so tighten her ponytail, her stomach showed.

The brunette groaned silently to Maura's joy. This was the first time Maura was on top, and Jane liked it, reaching out to the t-shirt with her hands, pulling it over Maura's head to throw it to the floor. Two full breasts showed, and Jane sat up to touch them. First, she weighed them in her hand, then she put her mouth onto one, feeling the heat rise through the red silk as she sucked and nibbled on one nipple at first and then on the other.

She felt strong hands pulling her face up for a deep and passionate kiss. _"I love you Maur."_ She whispered onto the blonde's neck, her hands leaving trails to the back of the blonde. Moving slowly downward, which lured a deep content moan out of the blonde. Making love was usually silent as the kids were around. But not today when they had the flat to themselves. And Maura's moans turned Jane on immensely. Even though she took her time, covering Maura's soft skin with touches and kisses which the blonde enjoyed_. "Oh my god Jane. This feels so good."_ The blonde whispered resting her arms on Janes shoulder until Jane moved her so that she lay on her back and Jane was on top again.

The red silk slip fell to the floor a few seconds later and Jane dipped her fingers into the wet folds. Then she bent down to taste Maura's arousal. She noticed how the blonde tensed at first at the touch of Janes mouth to this body part, but then gradually relaxed when the tongue moved around the bundle of nerves. Maura whimpered, holding onto the sheets with her hands, as Jane slowly circled the clit, moving a finger towards the opening to tease her. Maura thrusted her body towards her, which told Jane that she was ready. So, she pushed two fingers into the blonde while her tongue continued teasing the clit. Jane could feel how the orgasm built and how Maura exploded around her fingers. The blonde grabbed once more for the sheets and screamed Janes name.

"_Oh my god."_ The blonde mumbled. _"A tongue can do so amazing things."_ She said still panting.

Jane pulled her left hand through her mane, grinning. _"Yeah, right?"_

They kissed slowly, the brunette giving the blonde time to calm down a little, caressing her face as she lay half on top of Maura.

The blonde seemed to hesitate, when it came to pleasing Jane. "_You don't have to do that if you don't want to._" Jane whispered locking eyes with Maura.

"_But I want to."_ the blonde said. _"I'm just.. Its just a challenge."_ This was the code for I want to do it, but I'm scared to do it wrong. Jane moaned and moved her body slightly showing Maura that she was ready for whatever the blonde wanted to do with her. Fingers were gently touching her pelvis and Jane groaned. She was already so hot that it wouldn't take much effort to make her come.

Maura went down in between her legs, tasting her, drawing circles around the throbbing clit. Jane could hardly breathe. _"This is so good Maur." _She moaned with a husky voice, thickened with lust. She tried to hold back the orgasm which was threatening to come too soon. But she finally couldn't and came with a deep moan. _"Hell."_ She muttered under her breath.

And then again _Hell_ when Maura surprisingly pushed two fingers into her, until she came once more shortly after. She knew that she had squirted. She had only squirted when pleasuring herself so far.

"_Shit!"_ she mumbled, but Maura looked at her mesmerized_. "Don't worry, this is normal. It's a sign that you uhm really enjoyed." _

"_Yes, I did."_ Jane chuckled, still enjoying the aftershocks.

Maura asked her if it was like in her dreams and Jane mumbled that I was much better. Maura sighed and lay so that her head was resting on Janes soft breast. Jane gently caressed the blondes back. This was all still new. Jane quietly counted the month. Three she thought. Three months since they had had their first date. A broken nose and a broken toe, but she felt how good it was to be with Maura. How right and natural it felt to have this woman so close in her live. There hadn't been a single moment where she had felt pressured or had had a bad feeling. They were living on a small space but yet she felt free and joyful.

"_What are you thinking?"_ Maura asked and shifted to look into Janes eyes. The brunette first thought about a deflecting comment but then replied honestly. "_How happy I am with you. Why?"_

Maura gave her a kiss and a wide smile. _"Because your heart is still pumping like mad."_

"_It always does, when I'm close to you, Maur. Or when I think of you."_

"Same here." The blonde replied and laid down her head again.


	12. Chapter 12

One of the phones on the nightstand started ringing and Jane reached for it. Both had the same phone in the same color, although Jane would have never thought that Maura was going for a black phone too. She found it kind of confusing.

She saw Frankie's name on the display knowing that it was hers which was ringing. She put the phone back to the nightstand after some hesitation not wanting to leave their universe of togetherness. But when it started to ring for a second time she picked up.

"_What's up, Frankie?"_ she asked calmly kissing Maura on the forehead.

Her brother didn't waste any time greeting her. _"He did it again, Jane. That stupid ass did it again."_

Jane rubbed the bridge of her nose_. "Who did what again, Frankie?"_ she asked him to calm down and elaborate.

"_Tommy! He got arrested for a hit and run."_ Janes mind was suddenly racing. Part of her cursed her brother and wanted to leave him where he was. Especially after Tommy had given her a hard time, claiming that she had hurt Angela. But part of her knew that she had to go and see for herself. Tommy had been wrongly accused before.

"_There goes our weekend."_ She mumbled while getting dressed.

„_I'm going to drive. "_ Maura said in a way which mad it unmistakably clear that Jane didn't need to argue. She grunted and limped to the passenger side of her SUV and climbed in.

She told Maura that Frankie had mentioned that a body had been found and the evidence and witnesses had led to Tommy, who claimed that he hadn't done it. But the crime team had found traces like blood and hair on his car although it had been cleaned thoroughly.

"_This is bad!_" the blonde mumbled_. "This is really, really bad. Do you think he did it?"_

Jane shrugged_. "I don't know. He's been wrongly accused before."_ She cringed recalling that this had caused one of the biggest fights between them_. "I want to talk to him and then I will see what my gut says." _

Maura nodded shifting into the next gear when overtaking a small red car. Jane glanced out of the passenger window, not knowing what to think. She really hoped that Tommy was innocent and that if he was, they could proof it.

"_Let me talk to him!"_ Jane demanded from Crowes partner who blacked his teeth and smiled at her mischievously. The brunette was not going to be intimidated by his gestures and pulled her hand through her mane.

"_Rizzoli, we got solid proof that he did it and we have got witnesses. There was no need for you to come here."_ Brown said, sounding more reasonable while Jane spotted Frankie walking around the corner towards them. The brunette thought that she had never seen such a sad expression on his face.

"_I got here because I want, no I need to talk to him. He is my brother."_ She tried to sound more relaxed too.

Tommy shot her a surprised look when she and Maura entered the interrogation room. _"Jane? Have you come to tell me what an ass I am? There is no need you know. Frankie did that already. I'm a shame to the family!"_ her younger brother pouted. The brunette and Maura sat down to the opposite site of the table.

"_Stop your ranting Tommy. I'm here because I want to hear your side of the story. The past years have shown that luck is not always on your side. So, I'm only going to judge you if I find out, that you really did it. If you are innocent, I want to help you."_

The man swallowed hard. "_Why would you want to help me?"_ he pouted but Jane could clearly hear how insecure he was.

"_Because I believe in you. You made a mistake once and you keep paying for it. I did you wrong when thinking that you stole Maura's stuff. I want to make right now. Just tell me: did you do it?"_

His face was the one of a stubborn child. He pursed his lips. Jane waited a few minutes and then made a move to get up as he wouldn't talk.

"_No, I didn't do it. I haven't touched any alcohol in years!_" his voice was cracked when he finally spoke up, sounding panicked. _"But I have no clue how this could have happened either! How the blood and hair ended up on my car."_

Jane sat down to the chair again. "_Okay, then we need to talk. We will try to help you."_

Tommy glanced at Maura and her, still insecure and wondering why they believed him. "_Is TJ all right?"_ he asked silently. Jane didn't know but promised to find out until they saw each other the next time. The only thing Frankie had told her was that TJ was with Angela. Unfortunately, the 14-year-old boy had had witnessed how police had come to arrest his father. Jane rolled her eyes, imagining that TJ was probably not okay after this. But she decided to take care of this later.

"_Wait!"_ Tommy had said, when both women were about to leave the interrogation room after an hour. He looked to the floor, shuffling his feet. _"Thank you."_ He whispered and gave both a hug, tears were shining in his eyes. Jane felt a lump in her throat and nodded. Her gut told her that Tommy hadn't done it. And she said so to Frankie when they met at the dirty robber later.

"_I don't know, Jane_." Her brother said honestly. _"There is no way he couldn't have done it. The evidence is solid proof. I checked for myself._" The brunette bit her lips as she shot a look towards Nina who had silently followed the verbal exchange about Tommy's guilt or not guilt between the siblings.

"_Why, Frankie? Tell me why he should have done it. He has a successful business, a kid, he has everything. Why should he have drunken?"_ she turned to her brother again.

"_I don't know, Jane."_ Frankie gave a loud sigh_. "Look, I hate to think that he did it as much as you do, okay? But let's stick to the facts. Can you think of one single possible way this could have gone without him being involved?"_

Jane scratched her head. _"That's what we have to find out. Come on, we have a strong team here." _She pointed her finger towards themselves and the other two women at the table preparing to play out for what she hoped was a trump card. _"Remember the shooting at the subway station when all odds were against you? I knew that you wouldn't have shot this man if he hadn't had a gun. And I have the same feeling about Tommy not being guilty now. And I'm going at least to give it a try to proof his innocent."_

A soft touch of Maura's hand made her realize that she had talked herself into a rage over the last few minutes, so she stopped.

"I'm in." Nina said after some silence touching Frankie's hand gently.

"I'm in too." Korsak stated with a reassuring smile at the brunette after having followed the conversation in silence from the start.

"_Of course, I'll help you too."_ Maura said smiling at Jane.

Everybody glanced at Frankie who looked mad. Jane wondered why her otherwise so kind brother was so reluctant to help. Especially when even Korsak who didn't know Tommy well was willing to chime in. Was there something he knew that she didn't? Was her gut wrong and had Tommy started consuming alcohol again?

Not being able to wrap her mind around it she bluntly asked him. She saw him fidgeting with his hands. _"Jane, I saw the evidence. And Tommy can't come up with an alibi. TJ spent the night at Ma's that night. Tommy had asked her to take care of him because he had something important to do. But he won't tell us what it was. This is so fishy."_ Frankie silently said.

Later, Jane sat on the deck of Maura's home in beacon hill, watching another beautiful sunset. But she couldn't really enjoy it for their research in the afternoon had been frustratingly fruitless. Frankie was right, she thought. It was all very fishy. She sighed when Maura joined her, sitting silently down next to the brunette after handing her a glass of iced tea.

"_What do you think?"_ she asked Maura, lacing fingers with her. The blonde glanced at the sun for a while.

"_I don't know, Jane. I learned to trust your intestines. But I can't find any possible scenario as to how it could have gone down."_ The brunette sighed, sensing that Maura was frustrated too. The blonde liked Tommy and wanted to help him.

"_We need to know what he did that night."_ Jane said determined. It seems to be the key for the solution to me.

"_Maybe TJ knows."_ Maura mumbled. "_Has anyone asked him?"_

Jane looked puzzled for she didn't know. "_Well, we are going to ask him."_ she said, finding new power to stand. After helping Maura up, she grabbed her key although the blonde still insisted on driving.

Angela showed an unreadable face when opening the door to them. The matriarch had doubtlessly seen their car pull into the driveway. A cold silence was lingering between mother and daughter reminding Jane of Maura and Constance who hadn't spoken since the blonde had denied meeting her adoptive mother.

The brunette had given some thought on their drive across town as to how to handle her mother. Now she felt at loss, because she hadn't expected Angela to be so cold. It was Maura who spoke up first, explaining the reason why they were there in a neutral tone.

"_Ma, we believe that Tommy is innocent, and we try to help him."_ Jane added to Maura's words, finding her voice again. The matriarch stared them down, arms crossed in front of her chest when there was a sudden movement in her back. TJ opened the door wider to greet his aunt and Maura.

Its been ages since Jane had seen him the last time and she noticed that he had grown into a handsome boy. His clothes were fashionable, and his brown hair was hanging to his face, like with all the other kids of his age.

"_That's really nice of you to invite me for a pizza."_ He stated and passed Angela after kissing her quickly on the cheek. Jane smirked, but soon realized that he wanted to talk alone with them.

"_Where do you want to go?"_ she asked turning to the boy in the backseat, having the feeling to know him but to be a stranger at the same time. She tilted her head at her thought and watched him think.

"_What happened to your toe, Aunt Jane?"_ he asked when they walked – or limped in Janes case – toward the pizza place. The blonde chuckled next to her as she told TJ that she had had a bowling accident. To her surprise he said _"cool! Dad always told me how you used to have the coolest leisure activities. Being the best in everything. Maybe we can practice some baseball one day?"_

The brunette hadn't expected the 14-year-old to be so open towards her and saw how Maura threw her a loving smile. "_Uhm, Yeah, sounds great to me."_ Jane said and grinned at the boy. He is a typical Rizzoli she thought when watching him secretly as he studied the menu. And only a Rizzoli could see that he was everything but fine, despite being so friendly and polite. Thing was to hide your fears and emotions not to be week or burden the people around you.

She shot him a reassuring smile while reaching for her iced tea sensing that he felt a bit lost in all the turmoil. They talked about school and his friends until their food arrived. Maura's hand touching her thigh from time to time to give her comfort.

"_So, Maura is your girlfriend."_ He stated suddenly during dinner. It occurred to Jane that never had ever called the blonde by this name. "_Yes."_ She replied and shot Maura a sweet smile.

"_Uhhhm, can I ask you when and how you noticed that you were gay?"_ TJ tried to sound matter of factly, but there was something in his voice which told that he was not only just being nosey.

"_I don't know. I bet I noticed when all the other girls started to fall for guys. But I didn't quite know what on earth could be so interesting about them._" Jane chuckled, digging deep into her memory.

"_To me boys were always good friends, but nothing more. There was a point though when I realized that I had a crush on one of the girls in my class. It was very confusing, because I had no word for it. It took me quite a while of pretending to be like the others and not wanting to see that I was different, and much longer to accept that this being different was okay even though some people think that its not." _She told him and shoved a piece of pizza into her mouth.

Tj who had listened carefully cocked his head sideways, eyebrows furrowed. Then he glanced at Maura as if expecting an answer from her too.

"_Pretty much the same here."_ She started. _"Only that It took me even longer than your aunt to acknowledge that I was gay."_ Jane noted a slight blush to the blonde's face and caught an apologetical smile from her_. "I used to tell myself that its not the gender you fall in love with but the character of the person. I still think is true that character is an important fact. But the gender is also important. I have been with men, but there was always something missing."_

The brunette could literally see the wheels turning in TJ's mind as he processed the information.

"_Have you ever kissed a girl?"_ she asked giving him another reassuring smile.

"_Yes._" He simply stated busying himself with the food on his plate. Jane decided to drop the subject, giving him space and time to process.

After dinner they drove to Maura's where they started to talk about Tommy. Tj nibbled at his finger, looking a bit nervous when Jane asked him if he knew where her brother had been that night, and if he had left with his car. Was it possible that TJ had stolen the car to go for a wild ride, she thought at one point when seeing how nervous the boy was.

"_TJ, you have to tell us the truth. You know you can trust us, right? Whatever it is, you must tell us. We are here to help you and your dad. Believe me, I know how things sometimes can go terribly wrong. Mistakes can be made so easily and without purpose."_ Jane silently said, sitting on the coffee table, reaching for Tjs hands.

"_You think I did it, don't you?"_ he asked, looking up with trembling lips.

"_I don't know if it was you TJ, and im not here to assume. But as I've said, we just need to know what you know. No matter what happened that night, we will be here for you and your dad."_

TJ was silent and bit his lip while focusing on his trembling hands. _"I didn't do it."_ He spoke up after a while, glancing at Jane. His eyes tearful and desperate.

"_But you know who did it, right?"_ Jane gently said, still holding his hands.

"_Dad is right, you are good at your job."_ TJ suddenly said and Jane cringed thinking that he was deflecting. But to her surprise he confirmed that he knew who the culprit was.

He told them how Tommy had brought him to Angela that night, leaving his car in the driveway of her house to take care of a plumbing problem at the neighbor's house. The neighbor with which he obviously had an affair. Tj knowing that Angela was fast asleep, and his father wouldn't be home for hours, or maybe even the night had texted with one of his friends who had had the idea to go for a jaunt.

"_I didn't know that dad had forgotten the key in the ignition. I messaged him that it was a stupid idea, and that I wouldn't do that. He must have stolen the car."_ Jane carefully studied TJs face, believing him, squeezing his hands when silently asking if he had a picture of his friend.

The witnesses had described a man similar to Tommy, but they weren't all distinctive if it had really been her brother, because they had only seen the person behind the wheel under the streetlight. Maura hunched over Jane as Tj showed them a picture with a boy who had the same features as Tommy.

"_What do you think?"_ the brunette asked Maura, who took another close look. "_The facial structure of Tommy and him are similar enough to think that they were the same person by the circumstances the witness has seen them."_ The blonde stated.

Jane rubbed her eyes. "_We need a witness statement from this neighbor/affair. Shouldn't be a problem unless she has a husband and refuses to talk."_ The brunette said, seeing her worst fears confirmed by TJs face.

Maura glanced at her watch. It was beyond 9 pm. But as TJ had told them that her husband was usually working the night shift at the hospital, they decided to pay her a visit.

A tall dark-haired woman opened the door at the second ring. First, she wanted to send them away, but she silently opened the door when spotting Tommy's son with them. Jane introduced herself and Maura, looking around the house with the tasteful furniture. Pictures of the woman with another man were hanging on the walls.

The woman was fidgeting with her hands, looking nervous. _"I love Tommy, he is a great guy. But I can't leave my husband. He threatened to kill me if I did leave him."_ she stated, fear in her eye. _"I don't want him to kill me or Tommy."_ She whispered scared.

Hell, Jane knew that she shouldn't be surprised, but she sometimes was when seeing what mess was going on in other relationships. She glanced at Maura and was happy that things were going great between them.

"_You could get a restraining order against him."_ Maura pointed to a bruise under the woman's eye, which Jane hadn't seen yet because it was covered with some make-up. But if you knew that it was there it was easy to spot.

"_Are you serious?"_ the woman asked. "_Do you think that he is going to go away just because I wave with a piece of paper?"_

Jane admitted that she had a point there. But she had another idea. "_There are institutions…"_ she mumbled. "_I have a good friend whom I trust. I can call her, and we move you there tonight. She has lots of experience and will help you."_ The brunette offered.

"_Okay. Let me pack some stuff and let's go then."_ The woman said to Janes surprise. _"Honestly I can no longer life this live."_

And so it went. The woman was ready one hour later, they brought her to the shelter and to the station to make an official statement in the morning. TJ made a statement too, and his friend was taken into custody. He had cleaned the car thoroughly, but Maura had found a fingerprint where no one had thought to look when processing the evidence. It was right where the wheel was attached to the dashboard.

Jane and Maura waited in the lobby of the precinct for Tommy while the rest of the family were preparing a party at the dirty robber. Tommy came into the room escorted by two officers, smiling at Jane and Maura before pulling both into a hug. _"Thank you for saving my ass – again."_ They chuckled as Jane patted his back. "_You are a good man Tommy."_ She said and he apologized for being such an ass to her when it came to her sexuality.

They left before all got to emotional and drove to the dirty robber. Jane was fighting a small war with herself and then decided to take Tommy aside before entering the bar. _"There is something you need to know."_ She quietly said and told him of her suspicion that TJ was gay. He stood in silence for a while, not knowing what to say, not knowing how to deal with his son.

"_Just behave like you always did, he will tell you when the time is right. Maybe just give him the feeling that homosexuality is okay for you. I think he has a hard time because of what he heard from Ma and you."_ She quietly said with a reassuring smile before opening the door.

"_So, I take it you had another date with Maura."_ Frankie stated and laughed when Jane looked puzzled. Then it dawned on her. She burst out in laughter too. Angela was sitting the furthest away possible from Jane and Maura, shooting them mischievous glances which Jane tried to ignore. She told Frankie about the bowling incident.

He looked at her in a strange way and then hugged her. _"We would all be lost without you, you know that right?_" she felt a soft nudge after the hug and smiled. "_Nah, you're doing great too, brother. You just need a little bit more experience that's all."_

He nodded and turned to Nina who was whispering something to his ear. After nodding again, he stood to give an announcement. Nina was pregnant and soon the world have one more Rizzoli. _"Well if that's not a reason to toast." _Korsak said and lifted his glass of iced tea smiling at everyone.

Jane rolled her eyes and kissed Maura after taking a sip. "_Maybe one day we give Julia and Sophie another sibling."_ She whispered and chuckled when the blonde made a surprised face. "_Another Rizzoli?_" she smirked teasingly hinting that Jane would carry the child. But Jane pointed out that by then it would be a Rizzoli-Isles anyways.

Jane caught TJ glancing at them how they smiled sweetly at each other and kissed, now knowing that her suspicion must be right.


	13. Chapter 13

„_Oh, come on Maur." _Jane smirked when the blonde mentioned that she wanted one of the boxes out of the car to check if she had packed a certain book. The brunette glanced into the trunk which was fully crammed. _"Seriously?"_ she whined, _"Can't you check in your bookshelf?"_

"_No, I can't. Because I don't know if it was there in the first place."_ Maura stated. _"I have my books in several places. With all the moving over the last months I kind of lost track._" The blonde looked apologetically to Jane who stood sweating next to her.

It was hot although almost evening and Jane had spent the entire afternoon hauling the boxes from the house to her car while Maura had been packing up her stuff. Initially the blonde had wanted to instruct a company, but when Jane had found out, that she hadn't much to move she had offered to help her. Besides being already in Boston to help Tommy seemed a good opportunity to start moving Maura's stuff. The things Maura had fit easily into her SUV.

They glanced at each other for a while until Jane finally said _"Okay. Which one do you want to have?"_

The blonde looked clueless while the brunette hoped that it wasn't one from the bottom. The boxes were piled three layers high and three layers deep. Jane stretched her arms and tugged on her ponytail and wet cotton shirt when a familiar figure called their names.

Her mother's presence was just what she needed right now. Jane felt the anger grow. She grabbed for the water bottle because she was thirsty and slowly walked over to the elder woman.

"_Ma, if you want to fight or make accusations stop because I'm really not in the mood for it."_

Angela's glance passed her daughter and went to Maura who was reading the label on the boxes.

"_I heard she accepted a job in NY. So, its serious? You're moving in together."_ Angela stated with a strange tone.

Jane sighed. _"We're not moving in together yet. But if everything turns out to be fine, we most likely will one day." _She saw that Angela was kind of sad and had no idea what this was all about.

"_You really like her ha?"_ Angela silently asked looking at Jane as if realizing for the first time, that Jane was a grown woman now. The brunette still didn't know where this was heading, but she stayed cautious after the last encounters.

"_Yeah, I like her a lot._" She said with a soft tone in her voice looking over to Maura, who by now had opened a box. The sun was slowly going down behind her. Jane smiled when she saw how the doctor managed to drop a handful of books to the ground while searching. Yeah, she loved her.

"_I can see that you are happy, Jane."_ Angela interrupted her thoughts, her voice soft too now. "_You might know yourself how you only want to see your kid happy, when you hold her for the first time. And you want to protect her. Its easy to do so, when children are small. But when they start to walk or ride a bike its harder to protect them and you are not always able to be around them. As a parent you somehow develop your own idea of what would make your kid happy. But truth is, no matter how hard you try to do everything right, its impossible. I had a long talk with Frankie and Korsak the other day and they made me see that my version of happiness for you doesn't match yours. It took me a long time to realize it. And I was really angry at them. But now I'm glad for their straight words. I just wanted you to know that I see it now. And I see that this is your live and your path, which only you can walk. I was stupid to the point to tell Maura where you are in hope that she could talk some sense into you. I hope that one day you can forgive me for it, and for everything else. I always loved you Janie. You know that right?"_

Angela stopped her monologue whipping away some crocodile tears which were rolling down her cheek. Jane glanced at her, her look softened when she realized that her mother really meant what she said, and she pulled her into a hug, sighing.

"_Thank you, ma. You don't know how much this means to me. I love you too."_ Jane was crying now too.

"_Its not going to be easy to not meddle with your live, but I will try hard. I swear."_ Angela managed to say in between two sniffs. _"I'm proud of you Jane. I should have told you sooner. I'm really proud."_ She said and patted her daughters' shoulder before turning to leave.

Jane sighed. They had wanted to leave Boston two hours ago, but somehow, she wanted to spend a little bit more time with her mother. _"Wait ma!"_ she shouted and jogged after her. "_Why don't you let us invite you for dinner?"_

Angela looked at Maura who was now putting back the books into the box. _"Maur, how about dinner with ma before we leave Boston?_" she shouted over the lawn.

"_Sure, I'd love to."_ Maura shouted back. Jane turned around to see her mothers face light up. _"Well, I would love to too." _

"_Perfect!"_ Jane linked arms with her as they walked back towards Maura. The blonde certainly noticed that both Rizzoli's had been crying but didn't mention it. She smiled as she shook Angela's hand.

Angela had to drive with Maura, because Janes car was fully packed. They agreed on going to Korsaks for burgers and fries.

"_I'll call Amelia and tell her that we will be late, okay?"_ Jane asked before they got into their car. Maura agreed. Jane silently thanked god that they had spent so much time with the kids lately, otherwise they would start believing that Amelia was their mother.

During dinner Maura told Angela how they had pretended to be a couple for Giovanni because they had seen no other way to get away from him. The matriarch chuckled, knowing from her own experience how persistent Giovanni could be. The three of them laughed together at the story.

"_So, when did it happen then?"_ Angela asked grabbing for her greasy burger.

Maura and Jane looked at each other_. "Well, basically it's a long story. We had feelings for each other for a long time."_

"_Yeah, they drove us all mad with their dancing around. But we all decided that they needed to figure it out for themselves_." Korsak chimed in bringing more iced tea for the brunette. He chuckled and rolled his eyes when leaving the table again.

Jane rolled her eyes too_. "Obviously, everybody knew. But it really started when we met at the airport on Christmas." _Jane said, taking a sip.

"_I'm glad you are uhm dating now. You make such a perfect couple."_ Angela said with a wide smile.

Jane looked to Maura who was sitting next to her and they smiled at each other warmly. "_Yeah, us too." _She said beaming.

On the way home, Jane put in some good rock music. She spent some time singing along some of her most favorite songs. Then her mind started to kick off a wheel.

She was happy with Maura. Everybody was happy for them. So far, everything was smooth. But what did it really mean? She would start a family with Maura, maybe one day they would get married. At least she hoped so. They already shared the responsibility for their kids somehow. And it was really incredible how fast they had adjusted to the new situation. Sex and work were great, she smiled. But the question was how they would manage when the everyday life kicked in.

She didn't want to become one of the couples who started to fall apart because of it. Maybe this had been one of her fears all along. That one day they wouldn't even bother to talk to each other anymore. But on the other hand, their life had never been boring while being with each other. Moreover, could one really prevent it if it should be that way?

Jane drove to the side of the road, when she to see what was going on at the backseat. "_Ae you okay?_" Maura asked when coming to a halt.

"_Yeah, its just that one of the boxes is moving around and I want to fix it_." Jane nodded and Maura held the door while the brunette worked on solving the problem.

When her head reappeared from the car, the blonde pulled her into a tight hug_. "I love you Jane."_ She whispered. Jane instantly replied the hug and said that she loved Maura too. They stood next to the road in the middle of nowhere and gazed at the stars. "_There's the milky _way" Jane said smiling and pointed to a group of stars.

"_Yes. This is so beautiful. Just like you Jane."_ She whispered in awe. The brunette was silent. She had to get used to the compliments and Maura knew by the way Jane pulled her close again, to kiss her that Jane appreciated it.

"So, was this a proposal when you said Rizzoli-Isles?" Maura asked teasingly before they got back into the SUV.

Jane furrowed her eyebrows. "I said probably it will be a Rizzoli-and Isles. That states a possibility." she said mysteriously. Maura chuckled once more at Janes behavior. Jane thought about it, while driving on. It was far to soon to ask Maura, right? Even though it felt so right of thinking about them that way. She scratched her head, glancing at the blonde who was glancing out of the window.

"Would you say yes? I mean, only hypothetically spoken." She asked Maura after a while.

The blonde seemed to think about it for a while. "Hypothetically spoken I would say yes, yes." She stated after a while. Janes heart made a leap and she smiled.

Jane told Maura quickly what her mother had said when laying in bed. "_That's really nice of her."_ Maura stated. Jane nodded, yes it was.

"_Did you find your book?"_ the brunette asked rubbing her eyes. The blonde yawned and nodded. _"I need it for work. That's why I wanted to check."_

It felt good to have Maura so close and to know that she was loved. The brunette sighed stroking over the blonde's arm resting on her upper body. Maura moved a little closer as if she felt that both needed a bit more loving tonight.

They had always been great as a team, Jane thought. And she felt relieved that she hadn't always to be the strong one. That she could let her guard down around the blonde and be sure that she caught and protected her. Some might ask her if she hadn't forgiven Maura too fast, but she didn't think so. It would have been self-punishment to wait for more excuses. Besides Jane felt that life was too short to be endlessly mad at her. Life itself was complicated enough. And with her job she needed just that. To have a home and people to whom she could come home every night and feel safe and like herself.

If somebody asked her were her strength was coming from, she would say from being loved.

Of course, there would be fights, in which relationship weren't? but despite Maura dropping her in Paris she had no doubts that the blond would be there for her. They cared for each other and yeah, they were both complex persons, so it literally boarded to madness how easy they got along most of the time. But the secret to their success probably lay in the fact that they knew about each other's strengths and weaknesses and had learned not to temper but rely on each other and to let the other be who he was.

Jane was the organizing talent and physical strong. The protector on the outside. She had a temper which sometimes made her fly off, but Maura always knew how to sooth her. Her strength was to stay calm and reasonable and with that she had the power in her to bring Jane down from her wild emotions. Sometimes it was just enough for Jane if Maura's hand touched hers lightly to know that it was time to get down or cheer up. It was the same for work. Neither one told the other what or how to do the work. They trusted each other to do their jobs right.

Jane trusted Maura like Maura trusted her to fight for her or the kids when needed, because she was not so good at it herself.

And by trusting each other and being able to let everybody do what he could do best, they formed the perfect team and couple. And this is also why they would never fight about work and never had.

She bent down to give the blonde a kiss on her temple and Maura propped up to kiss Jane on the mouth. Right now, she felt as if Maura was healing her wounds with her love.

"_Good night, baby. I love you."_ She whispered and Maura smiled in her half sleep.

"_Good night, honey. Love you too."_ The blonde mumbled and her breath became even. Jane also fell asleep quickly.

After sleeping in and having some great breakfast – by now the sugar free stuff had also moved in at Janes – the four of them drove of with the boxes to the house. Some rooms needed a fresh paint. Maura started while Jane unloaded the boxes and stashed them in the future living room to the walls. Unlike the house in beacon hill this mansion, as the brunette secretly called it, was not furnished at all.

It would probably take the whole summer and a lot of work until Maura could live there. But Jane noticed that she didn't mind having them in her apartment for a little longer.

The only thing which bugged her was that there was no possibility to sit down to have a rest after carrying what appeared to be tons of books or stones into the house. She would talk to Maura later about it. This house needed at least some chairs. Especially when Frankie, Tommy and Korsak would come over in a few weeks to help them with their work.

The brunette was hot, even though only wearing shorts and a tank top. Maura's glances at her body didn't escape her though and she chuckled when the blonde popped her head into the living room, when she was done with emptying the cars.

"_Uh oh."_ Maura mumbled when Jane took off her tank top, asking Maura if they could pleaaaase put on the ac. The kids were playing in the backyard and Jane chuckled when she heard a lot of laughter floating in from outside.

"_I put on the sprinkler for them."_ Maura smiled. _"Looks like they like it."_

Jane liked it too. Hearing that there was cold water she decided to join Julia and Sophie to freshen up. The shorts were shed as quick as the tank top and soon she walked into the water only dressed in her black underwear.

When she glanced to the deck after a while, she found Maura sitting on the steps leading into the garden, clearly checking her out. The brunette walked over and held out her hand. Maura laughed and tilted her head saying no. So, Jane decided to take matters into her own hand and swiftly lifted the blonde from the steps and carried her to the water.

Maura was laughing and screaming, and the kids paused to enjoy the scene. The brunette let Maura down softly when she was wet like the rest of them.

"_Gracious god."_ Maura mumbled under her breath and it appeared as she couldn't stop laughing. _"I never thought that this could be so much fun."_

Jane by now had totally other thoughts when seeing the blonde's nipples harden under a soxx t-shirt Maura had 'borrowed' a few month ago. She got wet in other places and hoped that they would get the opportunity to make love later.

The kids were still playing in the garden when Maura and she continued painting the kid's bedrooms. There would be one for each. And everyone had gotten to choose their favorite color last week. To Janes surprise Julia had gone for a light pink while Sophie had chosen a light blue because they usually wanted to have the same things.

When they returned to her apartment that evening, they were all pink and blue. The kids who had been tired from running around all day fell asleep early.

"_Didn't you once mention a bubbly bath with a glass of wine?" _Maura asked rubbing her nose which was all pink, a hopeful glance in her eye.

Jane grinned. _"I can recall saying something like it." _

Maura nudged her slightly. _"All right."_ She laughed. _"I'll have the bath ready and you bring the wine. Deal?"_ It somehow sounded like a date Jane thought.

The blonde agreed and walked towards the fridge while Jane hurried to prepare the bath. Whilst letting in the water she put up candles to the room and lit them. By the time Maura arrived she was already lying naked in the tub.

The blonde gasped and Jane could see that she loved it. Both sucked in the smell of lavender which was filling the room and creating with the candlelight a very romantic setting.

"_What happened to the wonderful invention of electric light?"_ the blonde teased her, letting her body glide into the water taking a spot in between Janes legs.

Hell, the brunette thought and felt her body becoming alive again. She silently wrapped her arms around Maura's body and the blonde put her arms around Janes.

"_Uh, somebody taught me, that candles are a wonderful invention too."_ She smirked loving the feeling of being skin on skin with the blonde.

She could already feel Maura's nipple harden and softly moaned. Her left hand left the embrace and gently wandered down towards Maura's midst to find a hardened clit. Maura gasped at the touch of it by Janes long fingers.

"_Oh my god Jane. Please don't stop."_ She groaned when the brunette moved her fingers around the bundle of nerves. When Jane felt that Maura was getting close to the edge, she slightly moved her fingers a little further down and pushed two of them deep into the blonde who almost immediately came with a deep and satisfied moan making Jane feel even hotter.

When in bed, they continued, kissing passionately, mating with their tongues. Maura shifted so that she sat on top of Jane who felt the wet folds on her belly. She held her breath when the blonde played with one of her nipples. She was already so wet and aroused and enjoyed the sensations Maura's touches sent through her system. She had a hard time holding back load moans and bit her lip when a hand finally dipped in her wetness.

Closing her eyes, she felt how fingers pushed into her, pushing and pulling until she came.

The blonde slipped to her side and gently kissed her. Both were sweaty and panting, but incredibly happy. Jane wrapped an arm around her, and they snuggled. Her hand was playing with a strand of Maura's hair. Only one more week she thought and then they would have a week off.


	14. Chapter 14

Monday morning hit them like a truck, when both phones started ringing almost simultaneously. Jane tried to untangle from their tight embrace they had fallen asleep in. But this proved to be a hard task.

"_Murder is calling."_ She mumbled to Maura who was fast asleep. _"Rizzoli."_ Jane said suppressing a yawn, glancing to Maura who was stirring now too. _"Okay. We're on our way."_

She quickly read the digits on her screensaver when hanging up, grunting, rubbing her face. It was 3:12 in the morning. We must find a solution for the kids she thought, feeling guilty when calling Amelia. That woman must be a saint she felt as the student picked up after the second ring.

When she and Maura left, Amelia arrived. Jane apologized although noticing in relieve that she hadn't woken up her neighbor_. "Its okay. I have been awake anyways. I have an exam soon, which I can't fail."_ The young woman smiled and waved them goodbye.

Later that day, Jane found herself running along her favorite track. Maura had got another case and was working late. The kids were still with Amelia, so she had taken the opportunity. The air was fresh after some rain from earlier that day and she took some deep breaths and enjoyed her alone time.

Later she greeted two excited kids and listened to their tails from the weekend and their day.

**Will not be home before 11 pm probably **

Jane read Maura's text and started cooking Mac and cheese. _"How was your weekend?"_ Sophie asked the brunette looking up from a drawing of her favorite motive: a tall brunette and a tall woman with two kids in their midst. A huge sun was shining above them. Julia on the other hand was into drawing houses.

After dinner she played some word games with them, learning more about Willi, the baby donkey, who was their new friend. She decided to print out one of the pictures Amelia had sent her from Willi and the girls and to give it to them the next day when the girls were in bed.

Although being tired she stayed up until she heard a key turning in the lock and watched how an exhausted blonde made her way into the kitchen. _"Hey baby."_ She greeted her and waved from the couch.

She busied herself to warm Maura a plate of Mac and cheese and sat with her until she had finished. Then they crawled into bed.

Friday evening came fast. Thank god the rest of the week hadn't been so stressful as it had started. Jane had been able to solve the case and another one. And had been at home every day by 5 pm. Their two weeks' vacation was starting tomorrow, and she found Julia and Sophie jumping around the apartment, chatting excitedly about the trip and wild animals, while she and Maura tried to pack up their stuff. Jane chuckled when seeing Maura with a checklist.

She had never actually witnessed the blonde packing and found it very interesting to observe for once how the suitcase of Maura's became so heavy. She had a checklist too, but it contained only half of the points and was by far not so meticulously written with the one from Maura.

Another difference between them was, that Jane just threw the stuff from the cupboard into the duffle bag, while Maura laid it all out onto the bed, to double check. "_You don't need to pack meds, Jane. I have enough."_ Maura said and pointed to a huge first aid kid in her hand.

"_What?"_ Maura asked when hearing Jane laugh and looked up from her paper.

"_Have I ever told you how sweet you are?"_ Jane questioned as she went over to kiss the blonde who looked confused. The blonde pretended to think hard and replied _"No! Am I?"_

"_Oh yes!"_ Jane stated and grabbed for her car keys after giving her another kiss to mount the box onto the car. Seeing as to how much luggage and stuff they had she felt glad to have come around and bought the box. Suddenly she felt like they were just any other family in the world.

Julia and Sophie were still running around and one of them bumped into Jane in the hallway. The brunette smiled as they immediately ran off again. She was sure that none of them would sleep much this night seeing as to how excited they were.

And she was right. For the first night in ages, the master bed was captured by two giggling girls who tossed and turned almost the entire night. Which of course meant that Maura and Jane didn't get much sleep either.

They met a grinning Tommy, Heather and TJ early in the morning when packing their car. Jane noticed that the woman they had helped to leave her husband was beaming. It was already warm, and she decided to pull off her hoody. Tommy helped them with the luggage and then they drove off.

Julia and Sophie were already tired, and Jane watched in the rear-view mirror how their eyes closed. Then she glanced at Maura who showed a mixture of excitement and fear. Although she hadn't brought it up in the last two weeks, Jane knew that the statistic was still hovering in the blonde's mind.

Her hand reached out to find its usual spot on Maura's thigh, rubbing softly in order to sooth the blonde. When she looked over at the next red traffic light, she found the blonde smiling back at her. They had a five-hour drive ahead of them and Jane put in some music from which she knew that Maura liked it. Soon the car was filled with a string concert and the occasional snoring of one of the girls.

Jane sighed when their destination came into view. The weather was nice, although a bit cooler than in NY. The water in the lake was clear and mirrored the mountains surrounding it on the water surface. Maura was delighted and started taking pictures with her phone as the rest of the family climbed out of the cars.

"_This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been."_ She exclaimed in joy and kissed Jane who flashed her dimples with her wide smile.

"_Yeah, isn't it?"_ she asked, happy and proud that Maura liked her spot. Sophie and Julia were still fast asleep, and she decided that this was the perfect opportunity to get the tent and everything else ready.

Maura had a talent in building up tents, doing it much faster than Jane or Tommy. Then when finished eying the structure suspiciously_. "Jane aren't we going to get cold in this?_" she asked shivering as if she was already freezing.

"_Maybe it will be a little bit cold the first night, but the tent usually heats up fast and well."_ She reassured Maura wrapping her arms around the blonde. Not that she believed that it would ever get cold, seeing as it was still summer. Little did she know that a few hours later a rain would fall and cool down the air.

After the they had finished putting their stuff into the tent, they went to help Tommy and TJ. By now Julia and Sophie had woken up and were hopping around their cousin TJ who tickled and teased them. Jane watched in awe how cute the three of them were together.

Maura's shrieking brought her back to reality though and she quickly turned around if the blonde was in danger, making such noises. Maura was standing on a stone with a panicked face pointing to a huge spider on the ground. Jane chuckled and rolled her eyes. Why wasn't she surprised. _"Come on Maur. Its not going to kill you."_ She held out her hands like to a child and smiled.

"_Are you sure?_ _This thing is so big, just like the palm of my hand."_ Maura questioned in panic exaggerating.

"_I am absolutely sure!"_ Jane said and climbed the stone to join her. _"Uhm, nice view."_ The brunette said and her distraction worked. Soon Maura was taking pictures again, forgetting about the insect. It worked with Julia, why shouldn't it with the blonde Jane thought and smiled again as she found it sweet.

"_He likes you; you know?"_ Tommy said and sat down on an old tree trunk whipping away his sweat. They were in the forest, collecting logs for their campfire. _"He talks a lot about you and Maura_." Her brother continued.

"_Yeah, he talked a lot about you too, when we were with him."_ Jane said and sat down too, glancing at the pile they had already gathered.

"_Really?"_ Tommy asked looking up from the ground.

"_Yes, really_." Her brother chewed on his lips, thinking.

"_He hasn't come out yet, but I noticed things since you mentioned it…"_ his voice trailed off, insecure.

Jane smiled at him. "_He will. Just give him space and time. Its not easy when you come to realize that you are different. Sometimes you have the feeling that you don't belong to the group anymore and its bad if you cant talk about it out of fear how people will react."_ She explained to Tommy who glanced at her.

"_Must have been hard for you sometimes."_ He said and had a sad look on his face. _"I'm glad that he has someone to talk to, if he needs it. I'm glad you're there for him."_

"_Yeah."_ Jane nodded, hoping that TJ would if it came to it. "_It's a process. That's all. He will do fine."_ She said and patted his knee.

"_Man, at least I know why I had no chance with Maura."_ He chuckled changing the subject. _"I should have known. To her it was always you, Jane."_

The brunette laughed gently. _"See, I didn't know it. Or at least I was never sure if it was really me for Maura. We all do and say stupid things sometimes. We miss chances because we are scared."_

"_I asked Maura hypothetically if she would marry me."_ Jane spoke up when they were on their way back.

Tommy chuckled.

"_What?"_ Jane asked and her brother pointed out that this was so typically them. Dancing around lines. _"What did she say?"_ he asked.

Jane laughed because he was right. That was typically for them. "_She said hypothetically yes."_ She smiled. What she didn't say was that she hadn't only bought the box this week, but also a ring. Just in case.

"_Don't you think that it's a bit early. We've been dating only for a few months now."_ She asked but Tommy shook his head_. "Given your story, you should have asked her a long time ago."_ He replied seriously. Jane knew that he was right_. "Just go and get her, Janie."_ He winked and smiled before they arrived back at the camp and she could say more.

Jane closed her eyes, snuggling into her sleeping bag. The rain had begun to fall after their dinner and left a soothing noise on the tent. As usual she was replaying her day in her mind, while Maura was doing some meditation next to her. Julia and Sophie had snuggled up in one sleeping bag on the blonde's side.

She silently smiled to herself when coming to the part where Maura had methodically checked the inside of the tent for spiders and any other insects, driving everybody crazy when asking them to lift pile of clothes and stuff. Oh yeah, she loved that woman. An Maura loved her she thought, when she felt how her sleeping bag was unzipped and the blonde slipped into it and wrapped her arm around Jane.

The brunette sighed when feeling Mauras hand slipping onto her belly.

They pushed some tables together so that the entire family could sit. It was their first day at the lake, and the rain was pouring down merciless. After sleeping in they had decided to have a brunch at a nearby bistro.

"_I guess no hiking today._" Jane mumbled and saw the girls and TJ's slightly disappointed face glancing at her.

"_Sorry, guys. But with all the slippery paths its not worth it."_ Her voice sounded apologetical even though none of this was her fault. The mood in general was kind of grumpy after the night had been cold. And it got even grumpier, when the man behind the counter told them, that they weren't serving brunch. Lunch was only obtainable in two more hours.

Therefore, they just ordered coffee and cacao and spent a time in silence.

"_Jane? OMG is that you?"_ a woman shouted from a booth when she was returning from picking some painkillers from the car to soothe Maura's headache.

The tall brunette stopped in her tracks, blinking hard, until exclaiming "_Mary! What a surprise."_

A blonde woman lifted from her seat to hug Jane and both smiled at each other claiming that it had been ages, since they had last seen each other. Mary introduced her to a brunette glancing at Jane curiously. _"Hey, this is Jane. I told you about her."_

The brunette greeted the other woman politely, feeling curious stares in her neck from her family as she talked with the two women. They found out, that they would be staying the whole week. _"Maybe we can meet for coffee?"_ Mary suggested a hopeful gleam in her eyes. "_Talk about the old times…"_

"_Yeah, why not. But I must talk to my lots first, about our plans."_ Jane stated, pointing towards the crowded table down the room with her thumb over her shoulder.

"_No problem. We could exchange numbers and you text me?" _

Jane returned to their table after saying goodbye to the women. Maura had an odd expression on her face, giving strange vibes.

"_This was Mary, we've been to the academy together."_ Jane explained handing her girlfriend the tabs. _"Funny to meet her after such a long time."_

"_Yeah, I once met my kindergarten love when shopping. We rekindled our contact. Its quite fun, to meet people again after a while._" The brunette nodded.

"_Her girlfriend looks a lot like you Aunt Janie."_ TJ noticed as both women stood and walked out hand in hand.

"_What?"_ he asked as Maura and Tommy stared at him. _"Isn't it true?"_

The rest of the day was spent in silence especially between Maura and Jane as they drove to the next biggest town, where Maura had found a museum about fossils and the local history. The brunette had tried to start a conversation several times with the blonde, but Maura wouldn't reply.

"_Jane, I have a terrible headache."_ Was the only response she once got. After Maura flinching at her touch she gave up. She secretly glanced at the ME from time to time, musing that she was jealous. But there was no reason.

Her mind went back to the time when they had been at the academy. Mary hadn't been a friend, but somehow, they had hooked up still, sharing their beds occasionally, when needing a warm body in cold nights. Jane had never loved her, like she had never loved anybody like she loved Maura. Therefore, there was no reason she thought.

Jane desperately wished that she would have some alone time with the blonde to have a talk and explain this to her. It made her nervous when Maura was so mad at her and bottled up without giving her a chance to explain or show that there was no cause for fear.

Did she want to meet with Mary? Yes, of course. But only to talk about old times. Although not being friends back then, it would be nice to have a chat. In her mind she wouldn't have gone without Maura anyways.

The museum was housed at the center of the town. An old brick building, which had seen better times. Jane went to buy the tickets, while the rest stood in the hallway, leaving drops from their wet coats on the floor.

An old woman looked up from the newspaper she had been reading, apparently surprised that someone would actually come and visit the museum.

"_7 tickets please. Four adults and three kids._" She mumbled and saw how the woman glanced over to the lots to count for herself.

Jane was grateful when Tommy joined her while the kids went off with TJ and Maura walked off with Heather.

"_Its going to be okay by bedtime, Jane."_ He said and slightly touched her shoulder while she glanced into a showcase full of stones. The brunette hoped that he was right.

As Tommy went to take an early dinner with the girls and TJ in order to give Jane and Maura some space, the brunette tried to talk to the ME.

"_Come on Maur, can we please talk about Mary?"_ Jane asked silently, nervously rubbing the palms of her hand, glancing at her.

"_What do you want to talk about?"_ the blonde snapped, rummaging in her stuff without looking up.

Jane swallowed, thinking about her next move, deciding for honesty_. "I would like to talk about the fact that you give me the impression to be jealous of her."_

The blonde stopped rummaging, glancing at Jane with a pout in her face. _"I love you, Maur. There is no reason to be jealous. I've been trying to show you that there is no need to worry all day, but you never let me._" Jane tried to sound calm and sighed.

"_Her girlfriend looks just like you, Jane!"_ Maura spat. _"I have seen how she flirted with you. You had something with her, right?"_

The brunette snorted. _"This was a long time ago. And I never had feelings for her. Besides I didn't interpret her doing as flirting. Her girlfriend was sitting right next to her for heaven's sake! Do you really think she would be so obvious?"_

"_I don't know, Jane. Oh, well, yes I do think so!"_ Maura said in a cold tone. "_I have a creepy feeling about her."_

"_Hell! It was just one meeting. I think you are overacting a little."_ The brunette stated, slumping into a camping chair. Her patience was wearing down. This was supposed to be fun, but so far, the vacation had been wet, cold and exhausting. She pinched her bridge of the nose, watching Maura who loaded her stuff for going to the sanitary facilities.

"_Whatever! But don't hold me for stupid. I saw her messages on the phone earlier."_ Maura said before walking down the path to get ready for the night, leaving a speechless brunette behind.

She had left her phone to the open in the tent when coming home. Mary had texted her several times during the day, but the brunette hadn't whipped them off the display, not reading them for her head had been with Maura all day.

After sitting in the cold a few more minutes she crawled into the tent to have a look. A knot formed in her intestines when seeing that she had missed 11 messages and three phone calls. Now she too got the feeling that this was a creepy woman. Grumpy she snatched her own stuff and followed Maura to shower.

When she entered the sanitary facilities, no one was there except for the ME or at least Jane assumed that it was her. When the water was turned off the distinct sound of silent sobs filled the room. The brunettes heart sank in her chest and she silently stood in front of Maura's stall, leaning against the sinks, waiting.

The blonde gasped when finding Jane standing in front of her. It was to late for her to wipe away the treacherous signs of the fact that she had been crying.

"_Okay Maur, she's creepy. I checked my phone."_ Jane said, her arms crossed in front of her chest. _"I can't tell if she was flirting with me, maybe I didn't want to see it. But you have to believe me if I say that you are the only one for me._" she tried to make eye contact with the ME who nervously shuffled with her feet. New tears were dwelling up in her eyes and Jane felt them too, holding her breath, being scared that Maura would do something stupid or hold up the fight.

Instead she saw the blonde putting her stuff down onto the sink, slowly approaching Jane, who was still not breathing. Maura slipped her arms gently around the brunettes' waists, nuzzling her head into the wild mane_. "I'm sorry, Jane. I was so scared, because you wouldn't see it. I … uhm .. I just can't bear the thought to lose you – again."_ She whispered to Janes ear.

Jane, at first surprised, wrapped her arms around Maura too, blowing out the air. Bothe were silently crying while holding each other tight.

"_I love you, Maur."_ Jane whispered and listened to their both heartbeats thinking about the ring in her pocket. But this was not the way nor the reason she wanted to propose.

"_Do you want to shower?"_ Maura asked pointing to Janes stuff. The brunette furrowed her eyebrows, her heart sinking again. She had at least expected for Maura to say back that she loved her.

"_Yes."_ She mumbled, feeling all tense again, when the blonde let go of her.

"_I could join if you like? Give you a backrub?"_ the blonde offered, appearing insecure. _"If you want to…"_

Jane nodded. "I'd love to, doctor." She replied brightening up a little.

Back in the stall Maura had just emerged off, Jane turned on the water. The blonde put some soap onto her hand and started with her massage, which elicited some deep groans from Janes mouth. _"Oh god. This is so good."_ She stated, literally feeling how her muscles relaxed bit by bit. After a while another form of tension built in her body, a much nicer one. When she turned, she noticed how Maura's nipples were already standing up like hers.

"_Are you cold?"_ she asked, musing that she might misinterpret the signs.

Maura chuckled. _"No, Jane. I just like touching you."_

"_Uh oh."_ Jane mumbled feeling a cheeky smile raise in her face. "_Is there something I can help you with?" _

The blonde obviously searched her mind for a reply that equaled Janes question_. "Help me with what?_" she finally asked and saw Jane first blush then smirk.

Both started laughing at the same time falling into each other's eyes, before gently making love. Afterwards they walked hand in hand back to the tent, where Mary was awaiting them. The smile froze on Maura's and Janes face and the brunette felt how Maura's body got rigid.

"_Jane, can we talk?"_ Mary asked. _"I need your help with something."_

The brunette immediately saw the ruse, Mary playing with her need to protect people.

"_Mary, meet Maura, my girlfriend."_ She said. _"Whatever problem you have, you can discuss it with us both."_

The woman glanced at Jane in surprise than anger shadowed her face. As Mary didn't speak, the brunette sighed. _"I'm sorry, Mary. But I'm happy with Maura. If you were looking for what we had, its gone."_ She said and firmly squeezed Maura's hand.

"_Shame."_ The other blonde woman said and turned on her heels to leave without even saying goodbye.

"_Wow, that was nice."_ Maura said, exhaling loudly.

"_was this sarcasm?"_ Jane asked and laughed.

"_I don't know. I tried. Was it good?"_ Maura asked fishing.

"_Yeah, it was good Maur."_ Jane chuckled and sighed.

"_Tell me, how many exes do you have?"_ Maura later asked when they sat at the table of a nice restaurant. _"I need to know how more often this circus might happen."_ The blonde smirked.

Jane smiled as she took Maura's hand. "_This was bad luck, Maur. But if you need to know it can only happen one more time."_

The blonde shot her a surprised look_. "Not more? I mean you are a very attractive woman."_

The brunette scratched her head, thinking what to say_. "Well, no one was like you."_ She finally admitted in a simple manner. Maura smiled, bringing Janes hand to her mouth to kiss the palm of her hand. "_How I know this feeling."_ She mumbled leading their hands back to the table where their fingers enlaced.

"_Well, we both had the tendency to fall for the wrong people._" The blonde spoke into the comfortable silence which had been lingering between them.

The brunette nodded, poking the fork into her meal.

"_I hate when you hate me."_ Jane silently said before reaching for her glass of wine.

"_I used to say that too, remember?"_ Maura smiled sadly. Adding that at least they had found a way not to hate each other for some long days anymore.

"_Yeah, that's good. We're improving."_ More silence in which every woman thought about what had been said filled the air between them.

"_If it still rains tomorrow, I'm going to check for a hotel. Or we drive home."_ Janes remark made Maura look up from the fish on her plate.

"_Unless, you want to stay."_ She smirked, looking out of the window into the heavy rain. She suddenly recalled how they had met on the airport on such a weather and smiled. Maybe the rain wasn't bad after all.

The last words which she heard that night was _"Good night, honey, I love you."_ Then she fell asleep with Maura wrapped around her and a huge smile on her face.


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Only a short chapter as life is a bit crazy right now. I hope you like it though. :) **

**I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank you for your nice reviews. They are very helpful, and I always like to read them.**

Jane relaxed as she felt Maura move into her arms and push her back to Janes front. A wave of happiness rushed over her and she realized that she had never expected or even dreamt of this happening. A few month ago, Maura was so far away and now they were sitting on a stone, glancing at the lake and enjoying each other's company thanks to TJ and Tommy who were taking care of the girls.

The sun was about to set, and Jane felt kind of sad as their vacation was quickly coming to an end. The brunette nuzzled her head into Maura's neck, leaving a kiss before resting her head on the blondes' shoulder_. "Shame that we'll have to drive home in a few days."_ She murmured, watching a couple of swans swimming towards them.

"_Yeah, I could stay here forever with you and the kids."_ Maura replied, covering Janes arm, which was wrapped around her waist with her own.

A comfortable silence lingered while both looked at the beautiful scenery. The mountains were covered with an orange light while the lake was already in the shade. Usually it was warm during the day, but it got cold when the sun had set. Jane felt Maura shiver a bit in her arms. Therefore, she suggested to return to their camp, where by now a fire was burning for sure.

Maura shook her head to say no. _"Its so nice with you here. Lets just make a good use of this time before we jump back into our daily live in a few days."_ The brunette heard her say. _"Yeah."_ She said and pulled Maura a bit closer. This was really nice. Sometimes she still couldn't believe that this was really happening. That they had finally made it to be a couple with all that came with it. Sure, they always had touched a lot. But this was still different.

They were a family now. Despite of some challenges their live was fun, fuzzy and warm most of the time. Jane let the last few days pass in front of her inner eye. The days were spent hiking, swimming and playing. She had even practiced some throws with TJ as she had promised. The evenings were also entertaining.

Maura and she had made it a habit to go for a walk or spend some alone time. Cooking, eating and then either singing with Tommy who had brought his guitar, or Jane telling ghost stories to the girls. The brunette chuckled softly when recalling how Maura had tried to teach the girls how to play chess.

It made Jane realize how they all had different talents and how this was an advantage for all. And she loved the idea to spend more vacations with Tommy and his family.

"_Maybe we travel to the UK next year?"_ Maura spoke into the silence and brought Jane back to reality. The brunette gave it a thought. When she was a child travelling was always out of reach. And even in her adult years she had made only two trips abroad – both to France.

"_I like the idea."_ She quietly said truthfully being reminded that Maura was serious by already speaking of future trips. It always seemed so sure that they were made for each other and would spend the rest of their life together. But sometimes she still felt some insecurity, which was why she hadn't asked Maura to marry her, despite Tommy's advice.

Maura squeezed her hand, as if she felt was Jane was thinking. "_Did you know that even most of the animals stick with their partners for their entire life?"_ she asked and nodded her head towards the swans. _"Isn't it wonderful to know that there is someone there, who will make you feel better no matter how bad your day is or was?"_

Jane thought about it. Whenever she had a bad day, her first way was right to the morgue. And no matter what, she usually left this place with a smile on her face and the strength to move on.

"_Yeah. But its much more than that. Its also feeling warm and nice. I always focused on my job. But things shifted. I have a reason to go home now. Or better said three reasons."_ She said while kissing Maura's neck softly.

The blonde sighed and even though Jane couldn't see it, she knew that Maura was smiling, just like she smiled sheepishly, feeling all dizzy and drunken from these feelings.

She helped Maura get up when it was time to leave. Their fingers laced up as they walked in silence back to the camp. Soon the excited voices and the giggling from their daughters drifted to their ears and they grinned.

R&I

Returning home was sad but also exciting at the same time. Having grown closer after the last two weeks, the Rizzoli-Isles clan took up the renovation of the house. The process was slowed down by too much work at the precinct, but they considered every step as a victory.

One evening Jane sat at the deck, enjoying a beer while watching the girls run around the garden. Maura was still at work. Therefore, Jane had cooked a meal which even included vegetables. She had finished the girl's rooms after work by setting up the furniture and felt happy with her doing.

When her phone, which rested next to her started to buzz, she checked it.

**Sorry honey. Will be a while longer. Need to do one more autopsy. Miss you! - M**

**No worry, baby. I have everything under control here but miss you too. Cooked dinner (with the green stuff you taught me was so healthy for years. Kids wrinkled their nose, but I made them eat it. Hehe. Be safe. -J**

**Seriously? You cooked something healthy although it would be the chance to stick to greasy food? Im thinking about coming home to check if you have fever ;P – M**

Jane chuckled and shook her head. **Maybe I was just scared that my girlfriend comes home and finds out that I don't nourish her child properly ;P – J**

The brunette felt almost deceived when no more replies came. Maura was probably back to work she mused and sighed. She gathered the kids as it got dark and made them shower. This took quite some time as they protested wildly, and Jane was outnumbered. When they were tucked in, satisfied by Jane having read their favorite story she dropped onto the couch, feeling tired as hell.

She awoke by soft lips touching hers_. "What time is it?"_ she mumbled sleepily.

"_Time to go to bed, honey."_ Maura whispered. Jane took in the heavenly scent of Maura mixed with her shower products and stretched. _"Glad you're home."_ She whispered back and sat up, rubbing her face. Jane took the blondes hand and let herself be dragged into the bedroom.

It didn't take long until sleep claimed her again as she lay spooned up to her person.


	16. Chapter 16

By the end of the summer the renovation of the house was not quite finished, but it was ready to be moved in. The few things which had still to be done, could be done later. Little things like giving the garden shed a make over etc.

It was already late when Jane walked through the house in silence to check up on things. Tommy had spent almost an entire week working on the plumbing and she chuckled when she recalled that there had been aa fight between Maura and him about payment. Tommy refused to take money, stating that it was only fair after they had saved him from prison and Maura who wanted to support Tommy's business insisted on giving him the usual loan. All piping's had been a mess. They had ended up by agreeing that Maura would pay for the material and take the work time as a thank you gift.

When entering Julia's room Jane noticed that her girl had already started moving stuff to the house and she smiled as she bent down to pick up a puppet which had landed on the floor to prop her up against the pillows. Both girls were clearly looking forward to their new home she thought while walking into Sophies room, which was right next to her daughters.

Then she sat down onto the deck enjoying the mild evening and the view of the stars.

They had never really talked about moving in together, but it seemed as this had always been seen as a given to Maura and her. The thing they had started talking about though had been their wedding. Jane scratched her head, not remembering when this or how this had come up. No one had proposed to the other officially. It had probably all started with Maura stating that it wouldn't be nice to invite their family and friends to a housewarming party after moving into their new home. And Jane had probably joked that they could take it as an opportunity to get married.

Maura had agreed and the rest was history.

The brunette looked at the chairs which had been set up neatly in rows with an aisle in the middle by her siblings who had arrived yesterday to help with the preparations. Angela and the rest of the lots had come today. As the guest house wasn't ready, everybody was crushing in hotels which were nearby. Jane smiled and finally made herself move. She was about to meet Korsak and her lots at a bar in an hour to celebrate and have a bachelors party.

Angela was at her flat taking care of Julia and Sophie and Maura was meeting up with Kent, Susie and some of her lots.

The blonde had insisted on the old tradition that the soon to be married shouldn't share a bed the night before the big day and Jane, who hadn't seen Maura all day missed her already. She shot one last glance around the place, at all the boxes which were waiting to be unpacked and all the empty ones which had contained the stuff they would need for their daily life. The beds were made properly. The master bedroom which Maura was forbidden to walk in until it was time to consume their wedding because Jane had decorated it in a special way to surprise Maura.

Another sigh escaped her mouth as she flipped the light button and walked to her car. Her heart was pounding fast and heavy like a drum. Jane Rizzoli who had never thought to ever tie the knows with somebody, let alone to have a long-term relationship was about to get married. And she couldn't wait for the rest of her life to start.

R&I

"_Okay guys, I have some rules."_ Jane muttered after being hugged by everybody after making her way into the bar. The mood was cheerful, and she could see that the boys had had a head start on drinking.

"_Uh oh. Sounds serious."_ Frankie smirked and winked at Jane who tried to put on a stern look.

"_First, there's no way I can get drunk too much, second, no games – I hate them, third no stripper."_

Frankie's jaw dropped and she held up one hand before he could comment. "_I'm serious. Tomorrow I'm going to marry the woman of my life. I want to enjoy this._"

"_Yeah, dah! But a bachelor party is one of the experiences which belong to the whole thing. One should enjoy that too."_ Frankie said smartly and Jane rolled her eyes despite seeing his point which was also correct somehow.

Two hours later Jane swayed towards the bathroom, noticing that her plan not to drink so much hadn't worked out so well. But with her brothers and Korsak it had been difficult to resist. The evening was fun, and it was difficult not to get carried away by this event.

After using the toilet, she splashed some water into her face and checked her phone for any messages from either her mother or Maura. Each of the women had written her. Angela had informed her that the girls were fast asleep and Maura that she missed Jane.

A sweet smile spread over the brunette's face and she replied to Maura that she missed her too. Surprised that she received a reply immediately.

_You have no idea what I would give to be with you right now, alone! Don't get me wrong, its nice, the people are nice. But still…._

**Same here. Why don't we just sneak away and meet at our house?** Jane wrote having an excited feeling at the words our house. She felt her heart beating strongly in her chest while waiting for the reply.

**Have you had your stripper yet? Frankie mentioned taking you to a club… **

**Jane groaned and rolled her eyes. I'm done, I'm going home.** She typed, willing to flee her bachelor party to see Maura who sent a smiley and wrote that she would do the same. Jane recalled the setup in their bedroom and hoped to reach the house before the blonde. Even it was initially planned for tomorrow it would be nice tonight too. Checking her watch quickly she noticed that it was tomorrow anyways as it was half past midnight.

Korsak, Frankie and Tommy were far too emerged into some jokes and drinks to notice how she rushed out of the bar, feeling like a teenager which was sneaking away secretly to meet her lover. Well technically this didn't seem so far away.

She giggled about the situation while grabbing a cab, writing a message to Frankie so that they wouldn't be worried.

When she found the house in the dark Jane felt lucky. She rushed into the bathroom to splash more cold water into her face before opening the door to the bedroom. It turned out that she wasn't so lucky after all with her plan to light all the candles before Maura could arrive, because Maura was already there. And she had already seen the petals which Jane had prepared as a surprise.

The breath caught in her throat though when she saw that the blonde had lit the candles and was already lying in bed, naked. Jane licked her lips unconsciously as her eyes wondered up and down the body of her girlfriend, stopping at the center between the legs.

"_Come here."_ The blonde said in a soft voice, which was already thick with lust. Maura didn't have to invite Jane a second time. The brunette felt her knees become weak at the tone and the surrounding. This had been intended to be a surprise for Maura, but she was probably more surprised herself.

While walking towards the bed she shed her clothes, enjoying Maura's face which darkened with lust with every piece of fabric landing on the floor. Jane still felt a bit drunken, but she couldn't tell if it was still from the beers and shots or from the situation.

Once in bed she knelt over Maura, kissing her passionately, drinking in the feeling of their two bodies melting into one unit. Jane felt the blonde spreading her legs underneath her body and shifted so that they could grind into each other.

Jane felt the sweat running down her back while their bodies moved in a quickening rhythm until they came hard together with Maura screaming her name and Jane giving up a deep satisfied groan. She bent down to kiss her lover again and saw that Maura too had pearls of sweat running down her face.

"_Oh god, this was good."_ Jane stated as she dropped to the bed next to Maura who giggled. This felt so unreal: having rough sex in the most romantic surrounding. So, Jane had to laugh too. She softly led Maura's hand to her mouth and kissed it.

"_I'm sorry, Jane."_ Maura whispered while pulling her hand through her hair.

Jane propped up her head to look into her lover's hazel eyes. "_What for?"_ she asked.

"_For rushing through this without a foreplay. I think too much alcohol makes me horny."_ She giggled. _"But might be the overwhelming feelings as well. This is really nice what you did to the room. I love it."_

Jane propped her head on an arm after rolling to her side to face Maura. With her free hand she caressed the blondes face thoughtfully.

"_Its okay. Same here. So, don't worry. It was really good."_ Her voice was soft like the touches she gave Maura.

"_Are you nervous?" _Maura asked and bit her lips. Jane sensed that the blonde was insecure. _"Nope. Should I be nervous?" _she questioned and chuckled gently.

"_I don't think so."_ Maura replied, blushing slightly and lifted her head to kiss Jane who said: _"I don't think so either." _Jane said firmly.

The brunette shifted position so that her head rested on Maura's chest Both sighed and Jane listened to the blondes heartbeat until she fell asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

Jane groaned when she woke up due to loud voices in the house. She grunted and turned around, lifting the cover up to her chin and pulling the pillow over her head.

"_Ma, I have no idea where they are! Jane left and I haven't seen or heard of her since."_ Frankie stated, sounding hung over.

"_You tell me you lost your sister the night before her wedding? Seriously, Frankie?"_ her mother sounded annoyed.

"_She's a grown-up woman ma!"_ he whined.

The door to the house opened, bringing in more guests and voices like Kent asking if anyone had seen Maura mixed with Susie who jumped into wild conclusion when hearing that Jane was missing to.

If Jane wouldn't have felt tired hungover and tired herself, she would have found the whole thing amusing. Maura was still fast asleep, oblivious to the discussions which occurred downstairs. The brunette sighed, deciding to get up silently because she wanted to give her at least one more hour of sleep. She had no idea when they had finally closed their eyes, but it must have been early in the morning she thought seeing as to how she had left the bar after midnight and with all the lovemaking and talking….

The door to the bedroom suddenly swung open before she could even make a move out of bed and the girls were suddenly all over them, waking Maura with their excited chatter and sudden movements. Too late, Jane cringed. She sheepishly grinned at the blonde who looked like a train had hit her and felt Julia slip into her arms.

"_Grandma made us pancakes for breakfast!"_ she exclaimed in joy. _"They had the shape of a dinosaur." _Her daughter chuckled in delight and chatted on and on and on. Jane silently pressed a soft kiss onto her dark curls, feeling Julia's excited heartbeat. She realized that since Sophie had come into her life, Julia hadn't cuddled anymore like she did now. It hit her that she had missed this. A soft sigh escaped her mouth as she pulled the tiny body into a closer hug before thickeling her enjoying the sound of the giggles.

All four stayed in bed, talking, snuggling and laughing for a little longer, just enjoying themselves as a family, before Julia decided that it was time to go and see how the preparation was going.

"_Oh my god."_ Jane groaned and rubbed her head. _"When did we go to sleep?"_

"_I have no idea. But not before 5 am or so."_ Maura stated as she moved closer to snuggle into Jane.

"_What time is it now anyways?"_ the blonde asked resting her head on Janes chest.

Jane reached with her long arm for the phone on the nightstand only to find, that it had gone dead overnight, recalling that she had had only 10% of battery left when arriving at the house.

"_I have no clue."_ She said as she dropped the device next to her pillow.

"_Its already past ten."_ Angela's stern voice came from the doorway and Jane hurried to cover up Maura's bared back first, before covering part of her nude chest _"Ma!"_ she exclaimed.

"_Don't ma me, Jane!" This is your wedding day. You must get up and prepare._"

"_The guests will arrive around 3 pm, ma! There is plenty of time to get ready."_ The brunette whined and hoped her mother would go away. _"Don't you have stuff to do? Why don't you go and sit on the deck? The food will be delivered in two hours only. And everything else is ready."_

Maura and Jane had made sure to organize everything well to have a relaxed day.

Angela pouted, showing her dismay before turning around to leave.

Maura who had hidden her face during the conversation propped up to look at deep chocolate eyes. Her face was read.

"_Let's get up and have breakfast."_ Jane mumbled, giving the blonde one last kiss_. "Can't believe ma is still doing this to me"_ she said, rolling her eyes while swinging her long legs out of bed.

"_She just wants everything to be perfect for us."_ Maura gave her a small smile, moving out of her arms with a sigh.

"_I don't get what the fuss is all about anyways."_ The brunette muttered as she slipped into some sweatpants and a t-shirt. _"Seems like most of our guests have already arrived anyways_."

R&I

"_Can I have coffee too?"_ Frankie asked quietly when joining Jane in the kitchen. The rest of the people were sitting on the deck, enjoying the sunshine and each other's company.

"_Sure."_ Jane said and started to work on Maura's high end coffee machine again.

The siblings stood hesitantly in the kitchen, sipping their coffee, thinking that there was so much to say, but not coming around to do so.

"_I take it that you got to bed late too?"_ she asked her brother trying to hide a smirk.

"_You really missed something, Jane."_ He replied, grinning. _"We visited a few more bars; it must have been five when my head got to hit the pillow. It was about 8 when ma woke us up."_ He rolled his eyes.

Jane felt sorry for him_. "Thank you."_ She suddenly said.

"_What for?"_ he asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"_For sticking with me and having my back when I .._ " she cleared her throat. She had sworn to talk more about her feelings and be more thankful. But she still found it difficult sometimes. "_Uhm for being there for me when I needed a friend. And I guess for pushing me into the right directions when I needed it."_

He looked surprised about her sudden emotions but covered up quickly. _"No problem."_ He simply said. "_I was glad to help you. Isnt that part of my job as a loving brother? Besides, you also helped me a thousand times."_

Jane nodded, taking another sip leaning against the counter. The feeling that the three of them had grown closer over the last few years made her smile.

"_Coffee."_ Tommy grunted appearing in the kitchen now too and Jane laughed. She ended up making a cup for all of them. "_Ma is driving me crazy."_ He said, while she pushed all the buttons needed. _"she wants me to marry again and give her more grandkids."_

"_uh oh."_ Frankie stated, giving him a compassionate look.

"_We all know how she is. She just loves us."_ Jane said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "_And if it wasn't for her we wouldn't be here today. I think I would have really missed out if I had to grow up without you by my side. Remember the fun we had, when playing and fishing?"_

Her brothers smiled. _"Yeah, remember when we sneaked out to go to the lake in the middle of the night to find that monster which was supposed to live there? And Tommy slipped and we had to think of something that ma wouldn't find out? And you told her that you made up a story to protect us all?"_ Frankie grinned.

"_I still wonder if she really believed us or if she had just given up on asking because we were so annoying when giving our replies."_ Tommy chuckled.

"_Honestly, you guys could be so unnerving, but we always stuck together when needed. I'll never forget how I broke mas' favorite vase and you Jane told her that it had been you, because I had already been grounded."_

Jane nodded, smiling as they exchanged more stories and shared more laughter, wondering if she was the only one feeling a bit touchy today. She was glad to have these moments with her brothers, hoping that Sophie and Julia would feel the same way one day.

R&I

"_Are you ready, honey?"_ Maura popped her head into the room and gasped slightly at the sight of Jane who was wearing one of the hottest suits the blonde had ever seen her in. the brunette watched in the mirror how Maura padded into the room, to her surprise also wearing a suit.

"_You look gorgeous."_ The ME noticed with a smile, swirling Jane around to take her into her arms. _"Yeah, you think so?"_ Jane asked a bit self-conscious. _"I was not sure if a suit was going to be the right thing. I bet Ma is going to kill me. But I feel far more comfortable in it than in a dress."_

Maura pushed her fiancé softly away so that she stood at arms lengths. _"No, it's perfect. You look breathtaking." _Maura stated decisively after glancing up and down the brunette once more. Jane chuckled. _"Thank you."_ She said and took her turn to take in Maura's suit. As long as she remembered she had only seen Maura wearing a suit once. It had been when they had changed clothes because she had urgently needed a dress for a fancy restaurant to interview a witness/suspect.

But she recalled how she had found Maura cute in her suit, despite the clothes being too big. The blonde had mentioned back then to have been hit on by two women. Jane chuckled softly. _"You look stunning too, and very sexy if I'm allowed to say that. But why a suit?" _

"_I don't know. At first, I was looking for dresses. Angela wanted me to wear a white wedding dress, but I thought that white isn't the right color. I mean we're not twenty anymore. Besides we have lived our lives. Then I stumbled upon this suit and thought why not."_ The blonde shrugged.

"_You know, if it were for me, i would also have gotten married in shorts and a sox t-shirt. I don't get what the fuss is all about. It's just one day, but the marriage is about your whole life. It feels weird to dress up to say the vows. Weird and fake somehow. I know I might sound like a crazy woman, but seriously? I get this is my personal point of view and I understand and respect that other people feel different about it. But this.." _she paused and gestured towards her suit_ "this is not me."_

Maura chuckled softly and took Janes hands into hers. _"I would also marry you if you wore shorts and a Sox t-shirt. So, if you prefer this, than change. I'll change into leisure clothes too. We don't have to do this just because everybody else does it. It is our life and our wedding." _

Janes jaw dropped slightly. She glanced at Maura as if asking: seriously? They looked at each other hesitantly and started laughing. "_All right."_ Jane said. _"We always do and did stuff different or the other way around, so why not? This is us, right?" _

"_Right!"_ Maura giggled, giving exciting vibes off herself. They both started to run around in search of some more suitable clothes.

"_Jane? What is taking you so long? We are sweating our asses off.."_ Frankie called into the house.

"_Almost done. Tell them it won't be much longer!"_ the brunette shouted out, shooting Maura a smile that flashed her dimples receiving the same warm smile back.

"_Ready?"_ Jane asked breathless holding out her hand to Maura, still panting from the quick change of clothes. _"Sure. So, I bet this is our dream weddings mixed up and compromised."_ Maura laughed recalling when they had talked about it a few years earlier while taking one last look into the mirror to check her appearance.

"_Looks like it."_ Jane chuckled. "_Your location, my clothes. Ma is going to drop dead."_

"_Could be worse, don't you think so? What if we would have chosen the outfit we wore when we met for the first time?" _

"_OMG! Yeah. I still have that skirt you know?"_ Jane chuckled travelling back in time in her mind.

"_I remember wondering what a person of your profession was doing at the precinct."_ Both burst out in laughter. "_Well, you were very kind. That's one of the things I always loved about you: that you don't judge._" Jane became serious giving Maua another kiss, which was interrupted by a knock on the door followed by a gasp.

"_Guys, what are you doing?"_ Frankie asked, after picking up his jaw from the floor.

"_It's called kissing."_ Jane said smiling at Maura. "_But I think we are ready now, right Maura?"_

The blonde nodded and took Janes hand. _"Are you having some kind of midlife crises?"_ Frankie asked teasingly, rolling his eyes. _"First you run away from your own bachelor party and then you dress in shorts and t-shirts for your wedding."_ Jane knew that her brother wasn't serious, despite his stern look. Jane had been different all her life and Frankie had always been in awe for her because of it.

Her assumption was confirmed when he stopped her to hug her tightly. _"I'm happy for you."_ He whispered and she could see tears shimmering in his eyes. At first, she wanted to give some sarcastic reply, but then thought better. "_Thank you, Frankie. This really means a lot to me."_

"_Ma is going to faint."_ He smirked and they all laughed again, when making their way to the ceremony.

Jane had asked one of her favorite judges to marry them and was happy with her choice when finding the always smiling man waiting for them patiently. He didn't even blink with the eye when both women appeared in shorts and Sox t-shirts. They walked down the aisles, holding hands because neither of their fathers were present.

Kent and Korsak who had been selected to be best men's were wearing a huge grin while waiting for them to arrive. Julia and Sophie stood with them as ring holders. They looked excited and joyful and seemingly they didn't think something was wrong with their clothing's.

Unlike Angela who gasped for a second but then shrugged and smiled proudly at Jane. This made the brunettes heart swell. Angela had really come a long way in her promise not to mettle anymore. Sometimes she still did like this morning. But Jane found the amount to which it had reduced okay. She stopped in her tracks when they were passing by her row to give her mother a tight hug. _"I love you baby._" Angela said, whipping away a tear and Jane replied that she loved her too.

Then they stepped in front of the judge, who only found warming and kind words before letting them say their vows. The slipped on their rings and then the party began.


	18. Chapter 18

After the ceremony Jane and Maura stood to receive a lot of hugs and congratulations. It touched them to see how much people card and cheered for them. And most of all truly loved them for who they were. They had hired a photographer who took thousands of pictures of them ad their family and friends to the point that Jane, who was not a patient person in general started to feel a bit grumpy. But she sat through it, keeping an eye on the wonderful buffet which had been set up by the caterer they had chosen.

Angela had been offended at first by the fact that she wasn't the one to prepare food, but she seemed to be fine with it now. Mainly because she clearly saw the advantage, that she could focus on the family and most of all to the newlyweds.

The photographer directed the women towards the apple tree which stood at the back of the yard. Jane wrapped her arms around Maura and gently kissed her, while the man adjusted his equipment to take further pictures. "I love you." She whispered to Maura's ear and Maura turned her head sideways to look into Janes eyes, smiling. It was then when they heard a click from the device and turned to see that a picture had been taken.

"_I think this is so far the sweetest picture."_ The photographer stated, smiling at their surprised faces.

"_Can I call the girls. I want to have some extra pictures of us four too."_ Maura asked instead of giving further comments. The man nodded and soon they were standing in front of the tree shoulder on shoulder, Julia and Sophie in front of their mother who had their hands on them.

"_Can we have a cat?"_ Julia asked silently, bored by having to stand still and smile all the time.

"_A cat?"_ the brunette asked, asking herself were this idea suddenly came from.

"_Yes, now that we have a garden and a house, we can have a cat too, right?"_ her girls said smartly, while Sophie stood quiet like a nice kid. Jane glanced at Maura who shrugged like saying I have no problem seemingly forgetting the constant click click through the entire situation.

"_Well, uhm, I guess its all right then. But you guys must take some responsibility. And hope you realize that an animal also comes with work."_

"_Yay!"_ Sophie suddenly unfroze and high fived Julia. Turns out that this was going to be one of the funniest pictures later with the adults shocked faces at the emotions and Julia and Sophie high-fiving and doing an air jump.

By the time the photo session was finally over, the tables had been set instead of the rows of the chairs and Jane and Maura moved to gather the crowd. They held a short, but touching speech, thanking everybody for coming and sharing this special day with them before declaring the buffet open.

The whole party was going well. After dinner, Frankie and Korsak gave a speech and a toast together. Friends and family kept passing by the newlyweds table to speak a few words with them. Therefore, Maura and Jane had almost no opportunity to talk to each other.

Only when it was time for the wedding dance, they finally managed to get a bit closer. They had chosen a slow song, for which they were thankful now. It had been Janes idea to use _the rose_ from Bette Middler. Jane led Maura by the hand to the dancefloor and lay her arms loose on the blondes' shoulders while Maura held her at the waist.

Jane caught her breath when Maura shot her one of her favorite smiles, locking hazel eyes with chocolate ones. The brunette searched them and found only happiness and she gave Maura the happiest smile ever.

They placed their foreheads to each other, and Jane closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of her wife. This all seemed just right she thought, when their bodies moved a bit closer to each other and they rested their heads on each other's shoulders.

The brunette felt Maura's strong heartbeat against hers A heart in which she and her daughter had found a home a she noticed with a wide smile. She left a gentle kiss to the pulse point and nuzzled her head into the blonde hairs.

"_I love you."_ Maua whispered when the song was over, and Jane kissed the tip of her nose as a reply.

Then some faster music started, and the dancefloor was filling quickly. Jane got the two girls and they danced as a family for a while, with Julia jumping more than dancing and Sophie standing more than dancing. But uncle Frankie showed them how to move and Jane wrapped her arms around Maura's waist, resting her chin on the blonde's shoulder, watching their kids have fun.

"_They are just so cute."_ Jane softly said and Maura giggled softly. "_Yes, they are. Have you ever thought about adopting Sophie?"_ the blonde suddenly asked, and Jane declined. "_It would make sense though, wouldn't it?"_

"_I think so yes. If ever something should happen to one of us… I want to make sure that Sophie can stay with you and Julia. We are a family now. You are my wife."_

"_Uh, this sounds really sexy if you call me your wife._" Jane muttered with a cheeky smile before turning serious again. "_Yeah. I would love to take care of your girl. I love her so much. It feels as if she is also my daughter."_

"_I feel the same for Julia."_ Maura admitted, smiling shyly. "_So, this would be a good idea, right?"_

Jane paused for a few seconds to think about it. _"Yes. Absolutely. Can you ask your lawyer to take care of the formalities?"_

"_Sure, I'll call him tomorrow."_ The blonde said, nestling more into Jane.

"_Jane?"_

"_Hmmm?"_

"_Thank you for making me complete. It took a long time and it was a rocky journey. But I'm proud that we made it. Let's celebrate this, all right?"_

Jane mulled over the words in silence, pictures of happy and less happy times floating through her mind. But Maura was right. They had made it at the end all the fights had been worth it, and they were finally married and happy after all of these dancing around the line between friendship and relationship. They had finally managed to settle. And she knew, that even if it had been a rocky way, that probably it had have to be just like it went.

"_Yes. All right."_ She said and took a deep breath before leading Maura towards the dance floor again, where a disco song was playing. The brunette felt how Maura tugged at her, reluctant to come with her_. "What is it?"_ she gently asked, and Maura started rolling her eyes. "_I'm not good at this kind of dance."_ The blonde whined. "_Can't we wait for another one?"_

Jane glanced back towards the dancefloor, finding most of her loved once shaking it like wild. Then she had an idea. _"Wait here. I'll be back soon."_ She smiled towards Maura and let go of her to walk towards the crowd.

A few minutes later she returned with a mischievous grin, holding a basket and a blanket in her hand. She led Maura to the apple tree which was standing at the far end of the garden and lay in the dark."My lady." she said after spreading the blanket under the tree and made a gesture to invite Maura to sit with her.

The blonde giggled and sat down, followed by Jane. They made themselves comfortable against the tree. _"I hope you brought something to drink."_ Maura remarked teasingly. _"Oh shoot!"_ Jane exclaimed. "_I knew that I forgot something_." She was to her feet in no time. And returned almost as quick as she had departed with a bottle of champagne and a bottle of wine.

Maura took them out of her hand and shook her head with a wide grin. When Jane was seated again, she pressed her lips against the brunettes. Both opened their mouths almost simultaneously and then laughed, when they tried to enter the other one's mouths at the same time.

Both bottles were opened professionally by the brunette who handed Maua two glasses out of her basket. "_Let's start with the Champagne, shall we?"_ her dark voice was still full of the shared laughter from before.

"_This is to my gorgeous and brilliant wife."_ Maura spoke a toast solemnly.

"_Yeah, and to my absolute breathtaking beautiful wife too."_

They pushed the glasses together and took a sip. "_This is really good."_ Jane remarked, leaning her back against the tree again. Their fingers of their free hand laced up and for a while they just sat in silence. None of them felt the desire to join the party.

"_Are you hungry?"_ Jane spoke up after a while.

Maura turned her head and even though it was dark, Jane could see her eyes shining. _"A little bit maybe. I already ate far too much though."_

"_Nonsense."_ Jane scolded playfully while sitting up and placing the basket in between of them. She grabbed for her phone in order to use the torch function to show the blonde the treasures she had brought.

Maura giggled at her antics and the situation and reached for a piece of cake. "_But I'm not going to get coffee to go with it."_ Jane warned teasingly as she saw that Maura was about to speak. _"Somebody might want to talk to me. And I'd rather be here with you. Besides they might find our hiding place"_

They giggled. _"You do realize Jane, that we left our bachelors parties, and now we are hiding in our garden from our wedding party. That's kind of strange."_

Jane glanced at her. _"Do you want to go back to the party then?"_ she asked seriously.

"_That's not what I said."_ Maura stated with a smile_. "There are other things I'd rather do now."_ Jane found the following wink with the eyebrows just sexy and breathtaking. She had an idea what Maura meant, but wasn't sure.

"_Wanna tell me?"_ she hitched a breath.

"_I'd rather show you, if you don't mind."_ The last sentence was spoken with a dark husky voice and Jane watched the blonde set the basket aside in order to move closer. The kiss was tender and soft at the beginning but changed into a passionate mode very quick. Jane felt Maura's hand reaching under her t-shirt, caressing the warm and soft skin underneath.

The brunette couldn't help but moan. _"Wait!"_ she murmured to Maura's lips. "_Did I hurt you?"_ Maura asked cautiously. "_No, I like it. But what if somebody walks over here?"_

For one or two seconds one could only hear their already fastened breaths mixed with the music and voices which were drifting from the dancefloor. Jane felt that the situation and the danger to be caught, did the opposite to Maura than to intimidate her.

"_Its going to be okay. Just a quickie because you look so sexy and so hot."_ The smile was evident in her voice, as well as her arousal. This sent a rush of wetness into Janes pants and she moaned when Maura pushed her down slowly and sat on top of her letting her hands wander of the muscular body. Jane knew that her nipples were already hard and waited for the sweet sensation when Maura's fingers would find them.

She wanted to give a deep groan, but she couldn't because Maura just covered her mouth for a kiss in time. _"We don't want to get too much attention."_ She whispered to Jane who just enjoyed all the sensations and feelings travelling through her body to what the blonde did to her. At the end she had to admit, that this outdoor sex and the danger of being caught thing turned her on immensely. She whimpered and moved her hips under Maura craving for contact at her most sensitive spot.

But good Maura took her time, still kneading her breasts. Jane had no clue how Maura did it, but she always knew when it was time to stop the sweet torture and release Jane. The brunette came after the blonde had pushed her fingers into her just one or two times and lay panting on the blanket. God this had been good she thought and moved over to reciprocate. Taking her time too, smiling when she had made Maura come with a deep satisfying moan. Afterwards they lay on the blanket, arm in arm, looking to the stars.

They finally decided to join their party after a while, walking hand in hand. Stopping here and there to exchange kisses. They were so happy that it felt as if they were walking on air.


	19. Chapter 19

„_Ma, mommy? You must wake up. You promised us a cat."_ Jane grunted softly from underneath her covers. The sunlight was blinding her merciless. The mommy thing was new she thought, letting Julia slip into her arms. She could see that Maura had one eye open, looking gorgeous but clueless.

"_What time is it?"_ she yawned, wrapping her arm around Sophie.

"_I don't know, baby. But its probably still early._" The brunette mused, trying to kiss her wife over the two children who were lying between them. _"The girls just reminded us that we promised them a cat."_ She smirked and winked with a grin on her face.

"_Did we promise them to get it today?"_ Maura asked rubbing her face.

"_I don't think so." _

"_Oh good, in this case I'm going to close my eyes again and continue sleeping."_ Maura stated matter of factly to tease the girls. Sophie poked Maura, protesting loudly and Jane laughed. After enjoying a few more minutes with them, she told the girls to check if the weather was nice, promising to get up soon_. "I just want to have a few more minutes with Maura, okay?"_

"_kay. But then we look for a cat. Promise!"_ Julia said firmly.

"_All right, honey. After breakfast we will drive to the pet store first, to get what we need to make the cat a real home. Then we go look for a cat."_

Julia smiled as she hopped of the bed, dragging Sophie along. _"What do they need time for?"_ the blonde kid asked. Jane could hear them talking as they walked down the hall. "_What do I know? To wake up?"_

Maura silently moved into her arms, rolling her eyes. _"We're in trouble. I'm scared of when they become teenagers. Will they make us buy them a car or something?"_ Jane laughed out loud. _"Huh? Don't freak me out here. We'll have to work on saying no for sure._" She closed her eyes and reveled to the feeling of Maura's warm body pressed to her, their skins touching.

"_I love you, Jane."_ Maura mumbled as she entwined fingers with the brunette.

"_I love you too, Maur._"

The blonde lifted their entwined fingers to kiss the back of Janes hand before looking down onto their rings. _"Jane Isles Rizzoli. Still can't believe that you are my wife now."_

"_Well, Maura Rizzoli Isles, me neither."_ Jane said and left a tender kiss on Maura's shoulder.

They stayed a few more minutes before getting ready to go to the kitchen where Julia and Sophie were preparing breakfast. At least they were setting the table while chatting excitedly about appropriate cats' names.

Jane let her hand brush through Julia's dark curls when passing by her on the way to the fridge. Maura squeezed her hand softly, and they watched how the girls now discussed their future cats fur color over their sirup soaked pancakes. Jane smiled at her softly. _"Mommy, I want to have a black cat!_" Sophie addressed Jane. So, this was it, the brunette thought: I'm adopted as a mother now. She blinked back a tear and cleared her throat. _"We'll see what we get okay? It says that the cat finds you, not the other way round."_

"_Oh."_ Sophie said, returning to her pancake to mull over the thing she had just learned.

"_Where do we get a cat from?"_ Maura asked Jane later as they were dressing up to go to the pet store. "_I'd say we try a shelter. I hate the thought of all the poor animals there waiting for a forever home were they get the love they deserve."_

"_What?"_ she asked when Maura stopped in her tracks.

"_You are very wise this morning. Not that I'm surprised that you're right, but what you just said, warmed my heart. We should help one of those poor animals."_

The brunette slipped into her jeans, smiling. _"You know, you can call me Yoda if you like."_

Maura looked puzzled. "_Who is Yoda?"_

"_Yoda is a little green man, with long ears in the Star Wars movies. He always gives good advice. I might show you a picture later, if you remind me."_

"_Yoda isn't very modest though, right?" _

Jane paused and looked at Maura who was grinning at her. "_He doesn't need to be modest, because he is all wise." _She tried to bite bake the laughter in her voice and pretended to be serious.

"_All right Yoda, then let us leave our humble shack to adopt a cat and make our daughters happy."_

"_Yes ma'am."_ Jane saluted.

"_By the way, did you notice that Sophie called me Mommy?"_ she whispered, still mesmerized.

"_Yes. I like it."_ The blonde hugged Jane, leaving a small promising trail of kisses along her neck. _"You absolutely earned this title."_ She whispered into Janes ear, before taking a step out of the hug.

R&I

The pet shop was like a wonderland to the kids who kept filling up the shopping cart with cats' toys, cat snacks and all kind of other stuff from which Jane didn't know what it could be used for. Maura and she kept loading stuff like a cat toilet, a scratch tree and food into the same cart which soon became to small.

When one of Julia's favorite songs started playing on the radio, Jane turned the volume up and started to sing along. Julia joined in, followed by Sophie and then Maura. It was fun. Maura and she had decided not to go on a honeymoon but use the time for themselves and the kids instead. So far, the plan made everybody happy.

At the shelter, they took their time and walked along an Aisle with cages to their left and to their right. Jane stopped when Sophie halted at one of the cages. A huge brown cat, with long fur sat inside and seemingly stared them down with its big yellow eyes.

"_Strange."_ The young girl which worked as a volunteer at the shelter said. _"This is Brownie. He usually hisses and scratches people."_

Jane and Maura crouched to glance at the cat in disbelief. Brownie didn't look dangerous, and he wore what Jane thought was a typical: I'm a cat, human worship me attitude.

"_How old is he?"_ Maura asked.

"_He's approximately 4 or five years old. Somebody found him hungry and freezing under a bridge. He's been with us, for a few months now. As I've said: he did his best to scare away people so far."_

"_Can I pet him?"_ Sophie asked with her pleading eyes.

The woman looked at Maura and Jane questioningly. Maura was the first to nod. "_According to Yoda, the cat choses his people. So, it looks like Brownie has chosen."_

The employee shot them an amused look, as Jane silently nudged Maura.

They returned their focus to the cat, who didn't move when the door was opened. Sophie gingerly reached inside to touch him. he still sat still and let it happen. A faint purr was coming out of the cage and Jane sighed. "_I think we found our cat then or do you want to look around a bit more?"_

Sophie tilted her head, saying no, while a small teardrop of happiness made its way down her cheek.

"_What do you say, Julia?"_ Maura asked the little girl who stood mesmerized, staring at the cat. "_This is our cat." _She said firmly, looking up at the adults, beaming in joy.

"_All right. Then let's take him home, shall we?"_ Jane asked resting her hand on Sophie who had come to hug her leg. "_Yes. It's time for him to go home."_ She said smartly, surveilling the process of putting Brownie into a small cage for the drive, ready to protect him if she felt that they weren't nice enough with him.

Jane just found her and Julia adorable. They insisted that Brownie should travel on the seat between them. And so, he did in his cage. Julia and Sophie kept talking to him in a calming tone, sensing that he was a bit scared.

Jane was sure, that they would treat him good and be responsible.

"_You really are Yoda."_ Maura said as she undressed Jane later when the kids were asleep with Brownie lying on the same bed.

"_Yoda is sexy."_ The blonde smiled.

Jane chuckled_. "Not if you hear his grammar."_

Maura didn't seem to care, as she continued to strip Jane naked.

After having made love to each other, Jane reached for her phone to play a clip from Yoda to Maura. The blonde smirked. Got his grammar is really not sexy she giggled. Good that you didn't play me that clip earlier.

"Heeeeyyy." Jane looked offended and Maura pulled her into a hug_. "I was just joking, honey."_

Jane smiled, letting Maura cuddle into her arms. _"I know, baby."_


	20. Chapter 20

The decision to stay at home instead of going on a honeymoon turned out to be a good one in more than one way. It gave all four of them time to settle into their new home, as well as to settle as a family with Brownie quickly becoming a well-beloved member.

He was the sweetest cat one could imagine, following the girls around the house, playing with them and purring whenever somebody pet him. And he did get a lot of pets and treats. He never once tried to scratch at a furniture or tried to throw something off a table. The only thing which made him grumpy was when the girls tried to take him to the garden, which was perfectly understandable seeing his history.

Two days after their wedding the papers for the adoption were ready to be signed and Maura's lawyer brought them over. As Maura started to read, while Jane watched her in silence. There was a soft gasp and the blonde turned to her with tears in her eyes. _"You named her Julia Dorothea?"_ Maura asked in disbelief. Jane smiled softly: _"Yeah."_

There was some silence as they gathered their thoughts. Then the blonde finished reading and signed the papers. Now it was time for Jane, who read carefully until she saw Sophies full name. _"N0!"_ she said and glanced at Maura who nodded. _"You named her Sophie Clementine Isles?"_

Maura chuckled softly and gave Jane a kiss. "_Obviously we had the same idea."_

"_I'm glad that one can't escape fate."_ Jane silently said, squeezing Maura's hand before quickly wiping away a tear. The paperwork was finally done but there was another task to manage yet: finding someone to take care of Julia and Sophie when they couldn't because of being at work. Also maybe once a week in the evening so that they could go out on a date.

Unfortunately, Amelia wasn't available anymore, for she had found a boyfriend and she had a lot to do for her studies which meant that they had to find another reliable person whom the kids liked.

They were just sorting through some applications they had received, when they heard Sophie and Julia walking down the hallway. There was some whispering which made Jane assume that they were either up to something or that they would once more be confronted with yet another question.

Maura who had heard it too, looked up and gave Jane a small smile. The girls entered the room and Jane shrieked when she noticed that the cat Julia was holding was not Brownie. Their cat looked awfully offended, wiggling his tail in dismay as he followed them into the living room.

"_What's that?"_ the brunette asked pointing to the black cat who was happily purring in her daughter's arms.

Julia rolled her eyes_. "Really ma? This is a cat."_ She said smartly. Brownie walked past her legs and jumped into Janes lap, still offended.

"_I can see that much, honey. But where does it come from?"_

"_It was sitting on our deck earlier. Can we keep it?"_

"_I'm sure he has a home, sweetheart."_ Maura said in a soft tone, participating in the conversation for the first time. Her hand stroke Brownies fur.

"_Brownie is jealous."_ Sophie stated the obvious. "_But what if you are back to work and us back to school. Wont he be lonely?"_

Oh yeah, these kids were really smart Janes look told Maura when she locked eyes with her wife.

"_We still can't keep it. There is someone missing the cat for sure. You wouldn't want someone to keep Brownie either, would you?"_ Maura stated and Janes heart sank when both girls eyes saddened a little.

A knock to the door interrupted their conversation. A tall blonde woman stood on their porch. Half hiding behind her, Jane could spot a little red-haired boy of Julia's and Sophies age, with a freckled face. He looked at her shyly, while his mother introduced themselves.

"_Hi, I'm Ashly, and this is Matteo. We moved into the house right next to you a few days ago."_ Janes eyes followed her index finger, which was pointing to the nice old house. _"Our cat, Peter went missing yesterday, and we wondered if you might have seen him? He is all black except for a small white spot under his chin. He must have escaped while we were carrying some boxes inside. And as he is new to this neighborhood, we are a bit worried."_

The boy with the freckles gave her a hopeful but small smile.

"_Hey. My name is Jane, and this is my wife Maura."_ She smiled at her wife who had appeared behind her. Ashly gave them a sympathetic look and shook both women's hands. Then Jane softly called for Julia's name, who padded to the door, still holding the cat.

Matteo's eyes lit up as he caught a glimpse of his cat. Peter jumped from Julia's arm and ran to him. They all watched as he rounded the boy's feet, purring very loud.

Julia moved into her mother's side, and held on tight, her eyes a mixture of sadness and happiness. The brunette noticed how she shot Matteo a curious look_. "Hey, what do you say, do you want to stay and play with the girls?_" Jane asked, earning a thankful look from Ashly, when the boy shyly accepted.

The neighbor thanked them, stating that he didn't know anybody in the surrounding, and had already been bored to death over the last few days. Besides she had more boxes to unpack.

"_Sure."_ Jane said, watching Ashly pick up the cat and head off to her house after leaving a card with her name and phone number so that they could call if it was time to pick him up, or if there were any problems.

But there were none. At first the kids had been looking at each other, not knowing what to say. Obviously, they were all shy, Jane thought. Therefore, she asked Maura if she would join in playing monopoly with them.

The kids literally warmed up to each other during the bargaining over properties and houses and finally left to go play in the garden together. Jane busied herself making some iced tea, watching them from the kitchen window, while Maura had moved with the applications to the deck.

"_Its nice to see Sophie and Julia play with someone else and not keeping to themselves."_ The blonde quietly said to Jane.

"_Yes, it is. I think that this will be good for them._" The brunette watched them in silence for a while, listening to their giggles and shrieks as the kids ran around the garden. Fall was slowly making itself shown she thought, when she noticed how the leaves were turning yellow and red. It was still warm in the sunshine, but it already got cold in the evening. She had been playing with the thought to light a fire for a few days. But in order to do so she would have to bring in some wood from the shed.

She put it onto the list of what had still to be done today and then started looking at the applications again too.


	21. Chapter 21

They met Ashley's husband the following Sunday, when the neighbors had invited them for a barbeque in their garden for lunch. It was kind of a thank you gift for finding Peter. As Matteo was showing Julia and Sophie his room and games, the four adults sat on the terrace after a great meal, sipping iced tea and getting to know each other better.

"_So, how long have you been married?"_ George, the husband, asked. Jane liked him; he was a good guy she thought. And to her he had just the right sense of humor. They were all relaxed, enjoying the sun.

"_Uhm, we got married two weeks ago."_ The brunette said, glancing at Maura who nodded.

George and Ashley made a surprised face. "_You two give the impression of people who have been married forever."_ The man sad and Jane chuckled softly.

"_We've known each other for a long time. But it felt as if we had a connection right from the start."_ She paused to look once more at Maura who appeared to be pensive. But as she didn't object, Jane continued. "_At first, we were colleagues, then we became friends and then ended up loving each other. It was a bit complicated."_ Her genuine smile was reflected by the blonde who reached for her hand and squeezed it.

"_These are some of the best stories."_ George said with a wink. A comfortable silence lingered between all four for a few minutes.

"_How long have you two been married?"_ Jane asked the other couple. George and Ashley smiled at each other. _"We will have our 15__th__ anniversary next month."_ He said with a lot of pride and love in his voice. "_We've been through a lot too, but it only made our love only grow over the time."_ Ashley added, still smiling.

George rose from his chair offering what he called adult beverages. Jane had a beer like him, Maura and Ashley went for some wine. Then they learned that George was a doctor at Presbyterian Lower Manhattan hospital. He had received an offer to participate in a project which should be leading a study about orthopedy. This was the reason why the family had moved from LA to New York.

Of course, Maura was very interested in the study and soon she and George were discussing about … hell, Jane had no idea what they were discussing about, because they used so many Latin words and medical terms. But she actually didn't mind sitting still and watching with pride how Maura's eyes started to glow and her cheeks turned red in excitement.

The brunette shrugged with a smile when Ashley looked at her, rolling her eyes. It hit Jane, that for the first time in her live she had the feeling to be normal and do things normal and boring people would do like meeting with their neighbors for a barbeque while their kids were playing – hopefully peaceful – together. And she couldn't deny that she loved being among those boring people herself, because this was nice.

Maura also, seemed to have forgotten about her social anxieties as she started to tell funny stories. Maybe to her at the beginning the intention had been to talk about what was going on in a morgue, but soon she found joy in adding details and developed a quite good way to lay out plots which created astonishment and giggles around the table.

"_Oh no!"_ George said when she told them about the man who had been delivered to the morgue and whose penis had suddenly started to have a pulse.

George had some pretty good stories too though, and the time seemed to fly, when it suddenly got chilly because the sun had set. Maura and Jane politely declined their offer to continue the evening in the house.

"_We have to find a babysitter. There are lots of applications on our table. The first round of interviews yesterday didn't go very well." _She said and Jane snorted.

"_Yeah. By the end of the afternoon we were ready to have a drink. One of our highlights was a girl accusing us of having an unhealthy lifestyle, stating that its not too late though. We could still change and that there were programs."_ The brunette couldn't help but roll her eyes and Maura got some hives because this attitude and ignorance just made her angry.

"_Its like if we were living in the middle ages."_ A usually polite Maura snarked, openly showing her dismay.

"_Well, I could give it a try if you like."_ Ashley offered after they had joked and laughed about the whole thing for a while. _"I'm working from home as I am a freelancer, writing articles. I must keep an eye on Matteo too. If they are at the same school, I can pick them up, feed them, do homework with them."_

Maura and Jane looked at each other. One of the best things between them she found, was their ability to communicate just with their eyes. She remembered Frost who had repeatedly teased them by saying that what they had was eye sex. Anyways, this ability came in handy especially with two kids and if you didn't want them to hear what you were thinking or discussing.

The blonde's eyes clearly said: we could give it a try, right? Jane nodded and cleared her throat. There was only one problem. _"Sometimes we have to go to work in the night. As we are not always working cases together, one of us will mostly stay at home. But it happens that we both are called to the same crime scene."_

Ashley gave it a thought. _"How often does this happen?"_

"_I don't know. It depends. Sometimes once, maybe twice a month. Some months not at all."_

"_I could still do that if you like."_

"_Okay. That would be great. If you really don't mind…"_

"_Not at all."_

They discussed about the details for a while, happily finding out, that Matteo would not only be in the same school as the girls but also in the same class. Jane had a good feeling with their neighbors but being a cop, she also wanted to run a background check on their neighbors. Just to make sure.

Maura, to her surprise, found it very wise. Both couples had agreed to think it over and talk about it in a few days. Those weren't decisions which Jane or Maura took lightly. Especially when they were about the kids.

"_Sometimes I get the feeling, that our jobs make us a bit paranoid."_ Jane whispered as they were leaving the bathroom, where Julia and Sophie were enjoying a bubble bath, smelling like candy.

"_Me too."_ The blonde whispered back, looking once more at the girls who were playing with some toys before leaving the room. The door remained open so that they could hear what was going on, while they went to their bedroom.

Jane started to undress to go shower first, so that she could read the girls their bedtime story while Maura would also get ready for bed. The brunette prepared the bedroom for Julia and Sophie by pulling back the covers which Maura usually put neatly in place every morning like with their own bed. Then she dimmed the light and picked the pajamas before walking into the bathroom to help the kids get dry and dressed.

She noticed how they kept talking about ghosts and monsters a lot lately and wondered where this fascination came from. She decided to jump into the room and make a scary sound and was happy when the girls started to giggle in excitement.

To her dismay both refused to leave the tub. Jane decided to give them a few more minutes when two pairs of puppy eyes shot her a pleading look. Their giggles followed her down to the kitchen, where she got a bottle of water.

Later, when Sophie and Julia were in bed, sleeping deep after a long read from their favorite book, Jane and Maura snuggled together on the couch, watching a movie with the fire burning and warming up the house. The nights were becoming noticeable colder as summer turned into autumn. Before they knew, they had both fallen asleep. Only a few more days of holidays, then they would have to go back to work.


	22. Chapter 22

"_Do you ever get the feeling to be old?"_ Jane asked as they sat on the couch, facing each other. Janes elbow rested on the back of the couch; her head was against her hand. Maura cautiously took a sip from her favorite red wine and glanced at Jane.

"_I don't know. I mean, things are certainly not like they used to be when I was twenty, but old? Not really. Why?"_

Jane gave her a thoughtful look while tilting the beer in her bottle unconsciously. _"Lately I get the feeling to get old sometimes. Like with the radio station I started to listen. It's the one my mother listened to, when I was a child. Or physically. When I go for a run, I get the impression that im slower than I used to be. Then I like things like meeting with our neighbors, which I would have seen as boring."_

Maura silently reached for her wife's hand and caressed it with her thumb. _"I don't think that you're or that we are old. Life changes. That's normal. We are almost forty. And if you like the music playing on the radio or the comfortable afternoons its fine, isn't it?"_

The brunette looked into the fire. _"I guess so. But doesn't that scare you?"_

Maura chuckled softly_. "No, not at all. And maybe its less a question of getting old than a feeling to be at home and to have settled. Don't you think so?"_

Jane drank some of her beer, mulling over the blonde's words. _"Yeah, maybe."_ She admitted and a soft smile played around her lips as an unknown feeling of deep happiness filled her heart. Home, she thought, and gave a deep sigh.

When she looked at Maura, she saw a reflection of her smile, paired with kind hazel eyes. These moments had become some of Janes favorites. When they sat on the couch in the evening, talking, touching. Never in her live had she felt so close to someone like she did with Maura. And never had she felt such peace.

There was really no question of jumping from a bridge anymore, unless if it were for the kids or Maura. She also began to understand why family had always been so important for her mother. Thinking of which_: "Ma's birthday will be in two weeks. I thought we might spend a weekend in Boston and surprise her."_

If Maura was surprised, she didn't say so. Instead she agreed. _"That's a wonderful idea. She will love it. Do you know if someone is planning a Party?"_

"_No, but I will call Frankie and ask him. Usually there is. You know how we Rizzoli's are." She chuckled. "First, I will check if I can get Friday and Monday off. Or at least one of these days."_

"_Yeah mee too. What kind of present would she like do you think?"_ Maura asked, not stopping the movement of her thumb.

"Aren't we present enough?" Jane snorted, putting her bottle onto the coffee table to move closer to the blonde who laughed.

"_Jane!"_ Maura rolled her eyes not getting Janes joke right away. _"We should get her a pasta maker or something like that. I'm sure she has none and that she would love to make her own pasta."_

"_Well, if you think so."_ The brunette said, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. _"Have I ever told you how much I love you? You are such a wonderful and kind person. Sometimes I really ask myself how I could get so lucky._" Her eyes dropped to their hands before she brought them to her mouth.

"_No, you haven't. Not today anyways. But I sometimes ask myself the same question."_

They smiled at each other, relaxing into the cushions_. "Wanna watch TV?"_ Jane asked as she reached for the remote. "_Your turn to choose tonight."_

"_Are you sure? You know, I might want to watch a documentary."_ Maura wiggled teasingly with her eyebrows_. "Its fine."_ Jane said, getting to her feet to refill Maura's glass and fetch some snacks. When she settled back onto the couch, she found that Maura had chosen one of their DVD's – the pirates of the Caribbean.

"_Nice." _Jane commented as she lifted her arm, so that Maura could snuggle up and rest her head on her shoulder. While Maura's feet were neatly tucked under her body while Jane stretched her long, tanned legs out onto the coffee table. She was still wearing her shorts from the afternoon which had been quite warm. It mesmerized the brunette how Maura kept looking at them as if she couldn't get enough of their sight. Jane felt safe to assume that these were the body parts the blonde found the most attractive on her and she chuckled at the realization.

While Maura enjoyed her legs, she found them quite annoying sometimes to be honest. For example, when taking a commercial plane, or when sitting in a sports car she often didn't know where or how to situate them, that they won't hurt after a while.

"_A penny for your thoughts."_ Maura stated and moved so that she could look at her.

"_Uhm, nothing important. I have just let my mind go off a bit."_ Jane smiled and kissed Maura onto her forehead. Both looked up, when they heard footsteps coming into the room.

"_Ma, mommy? I'm so thirsty."_ Sophie said with a tiny voice, her lips were trembling, and Jane could see that she was shaking too.

Both walked over. _"Does anything else hurt, honey?_" Maura asked while putting the back of her hand to the girl's forehead. Jane who had crouched down took her tiny hand in hers and felt the feverish heat immediately.

"_My throat aches too."_ Sophie said, squeezing Janes hand. _"I'll get you back to bed and we make you some tea, okay sweetheart?"_ the brunette said knowing that the little blonde was by now too heavy for Maura to carry because she had grown quite a bit over the last year. But Sophie tilted her head, saying no. _"Can I come with you and watch TV?" _

"_Sure, honey. Do you want to see something special?" _

"_Can we watch Winnie the poop?"_ Sophie asked, her index finger in her mouth. None of them corrected her and said that it was Winnie poo, seeing as to how tired and feverish the poor girl was.

They nodded in agreement. Jane took Sophie to the couch and covered her with a blanket and started to look for the DVD while Maura busied herself making tea and finding some homeopathic meds.

Afterwards they settled back onto the couch with Sophie sitting in between them. Jane hoped that Julia hadn't caught whatever this was and wouldn't get ill too the next day. But there was no such luck as they found out the next morning.

Sophie had fallen asleep quickly when watching Winnie poo and Jane had carried her into her room. When they had awoken to a silent house the next morning, they knew that the girls had it both. Because usually they rose before them and they could hear them playing early in the morning.

A look into the girl's rooms confirmed their worst fears. Both were down with fever and sore throat.

"_I could call Cavanaugh and ask him for a day off. It shouldn't be a problem." _The brunette stated when Maura prepared tea and breakfast. _"That would be great. But if you want, I can stay too. One of my colleagues can cover my shift." _

At the end they both stayed at home. Jane being on call though, as one of her colleagues got ill too.

It turned out to be a lazy day, with holding hands, reading, cooking tea, watching Disney movies and a lot of snuggles. Fortunately, Jane wasn't called in until the evening.

She shot a look towards the couch, where Maura sat with two sleeping girls before grabbing her gear and leaving the house. The blonde held both in their arms and turned her head to smile at Jane before she was gone.


	23. Chapter 23

Maura awoke shortly after 3 am in the morning when she heard noises in front of the house.

"_Thank you, officer Oswald. I can handle it from here."_ She heard Janes muffled voice. Alerted she stood to walk to the door.

"_No, let me help you into your house."_ A male voice replied.

"_This is really not necessary. I have it!"_ If Maura wouldn't have been so worried, she would have laughed about the stubbornness Jane showed sometimes. It had been a while since she had been confronted with it though as the brunette was less stubborn than in their early days. But she obviously still had it in her. Just like officer Oswald who insisted on helping her.

Maura took a deep breath before she opened the door. The first thing she saw was a huge plaster on Janes left leg. It was so white that it was blinding in the shine of the full moon.

"_Oh good, see, my wife can help me from here. Thank you again, officer."_

Maura didn't know the man but seeing his age he was probably fresh from the academy. His jaw dropped when he saw her in her silk pajama.

"_What? Didn't you know that I was gay, or didn't you think that I could get such a beautiful woman?"_ Jane was grumpy. Maura knew all too well, that she hated if she needed help from strangers. She kind of pitied the man who was looking kind of insecure. Therefore, she gave her best to give him a warm smile and thank him for taking care of Jane.

He nodded. _"Maybe I'm just surprised that a stubborn woman like you gets a partner. Gives me hope. My mother always says I'm stubborn and that I will never find a woman if I stay that way, but honestly I don't think I am."_ He said.

"_Are you calling me stubborn now?"_ Jane said, but Maura saw that her wife had calmed down and wanted to tease the officer.

"_As far as I can tell you are both stubborn."_ Maura chuckled, linking arms with the brunette.

"_That's not true!"_ came out of Janes and the officer's mouth simultaneously as a protest and both shot her a stubborn look at that.

"_Right."_ Maura dryly said, rolling her eyes.

A sympathetic smile was exchanged between Jane and Oswald, before the officer made his way to the car. "_Good luck detective."_ He stated, kind of jokingly implying that he didn't envy her for having to face Maura and waved as he pulled his car out of the driveway.

Maura wrapped her arm around Janes small waist and the brunette put her arm around the blonde's shoulder. That way Jane could limp inside the house, slumping onto the couch with a groan. It was typical for the brunette to play cool in front of other people, but thankfully she was totally open towards Maura. At least with most of things.

"_Does it hurt?"_ Maura asked as she took in the fact that the plaster covered Janes entire leg.

The brunette fumbled some painkillers out of the pocket of her jacket. _"They gave me these at the hospital. But I refused to take one there. You know how I get all touchy and snuggly when I take pain meds. This can be quite embarrassing."_

"_So, I take it, that it hurts."_ Maura said, knowing her wife all too well.

"_like hell."_ Jane confirmed, and the pain showed in her face.

"_What happened?"_ the blonde asked after returning from the kitchen with a bottle of water.

Jane took it gratefully out of her hand and opened it to have a big gulp to wash down the meds. _"The murderer was among the spectators at the crime scene. When an officer went over to interrogate him, he started to run. That son of a … uhm… "_Jane stopped when seeing the warning glare of Maura. They had established the rule not to swear around the kids or in the house. This posed a challenge to Jane quite often.

"_Yeah anyways_" she took up her story again "_he ran, and we chased him down through a park and down the street. Then he suddenly turns and shoots at us. The officer who was pursuing him with me got a bullet into his shoulder, so I continued to follow him alone. Police cars were already on the other side of the street. I just wanted to push him towards them. Then he lost his breath and I jumped at him. Unfortunately, I twisted my knee and hurt my ankle a bit. So, it's not as bad as it looks. They just put a plaster around it in order that I keep it still and it can heal."_

Maura cocked her head slightly to the side. As always, she wasn't sure if she should be proud or angry or scared. Knowing that this was part of Janes job meant knowing that these things could happen. And that they could go terribly wrong. Therefore, she had decided a long time ago, to just not think about this aspect of Janes job in order to stay sane. But it was hard to ignore today with the plaster on her leg.

She saw Jane gauging her reaction carefully biting her lips_. "Are you mad?"_ she asked quietly.

"_No, but I'm a bit torn between feelings to be honest. I am mighty proud of you because you can do all these things. But I'm a bit scared too. This always reminds me of how dangerous your job can be. But I keep thinking that you are good at it. And I trust you not to do anything stupid, so .."_ her voice trailed off and Jane just reached with her hand for Maura's arm.

The blonde let Jane pull her closer and sat next to her on the couch. The brunette gave her a tight hug, kissing her cheek. "_Thank you for being proud and thank you even more for having such faith in me and my abilities. And yeah, you are right I can be stubborn indeed._" Maura knew that Jane meant it, but only admitted it to make her laugh, which she did.

"_Are you never scared that one day you wouldn't come home?"_ the blonde whispered, checking Janes face which faltered a bit while thinking_. "Sometimes."_ She admitted in a low voice so that Maura almost overheard it. _"This is why I keep looking at you before leaving the house more than I usually would, I guess. But then I feel stupid, because as you said, I'm good at it my job and im more cautious when doing this dangerous stuff. I don't volunteer to stand in the first row anymore if its not necessary. I don't take the unnecessary risks anymore."_

Maura gave a deep sigh and nodded. "_I'm proud of you."_ She silently whispered before kissing Jane onto the mouth. Even after being together for 9 months, kissing Maura always stirred excitement and sometimes also still disbelieve that this woman was her partner now in Jane. She closed her eyes and let her hand wander through the blonde strands to pull Maura into a deep kiss.

"_Do you need assistance with changing your clothes and getting through your nightly routine?"_ Maura mumbled against her lips when they parted to breathe. "_Is this an unmoral offer, doctor Isles?"_ Jane grinned. Her leg might be in a huge plaster, but all the important part was functioning well.

"_Let's go to the bathroom and see."_ Maura chuckled and helped Jane walk upstairs. This turned out to be a difficult task but after taking the meds earlier on the couch it didn't hurt so bad. No one ever mentioned the unmoral offer that night again and they dropped dead into bead after leaving the bathroom.

R&I

"_I'm sorry, babe."_ Jane mumbled apologetically from the couch. Sophie and Julia were also still down and all three were on the couch waiting for some tea and cookies.

"_What for?"_ Maura asked as she arranged some flowers on the coffee table. _"For this."_ Jane pointed to her leg. _"I can't even help you, and now you have to take care of us three."_

"_Yes, well at least I know that you three can't do any harm, so I have to watch you guys less."_ Maura smirked teasingly. Jane noticed how good Maura became at such human interactions and pulled quickly showed her tongue after checking if the girls were really fast asleep.

"_I bet it's safe to say that we can fly to Boston next weekend. Have you heard anything from Frankie?"_

"_Yeah. He said that they are going to throw a surprise party. Which won't be so much of a surprise as they do it every year."_ The brunette grinned.

"_Well, this time there will be a surprise at least for her because I bet, she doesn't think that we are coming._" Maura's eyes gleamed in excitement. _"I'm going to go shopping."_ Maura grinned because she loved shopping. "_Shame my leg got hurt. So I can't come with you."_ Jane who hated shopping teased. Maura left the room laughing and shaking her head to get dressed.

"_Will you bring us burgers? Pleeeeaaaaase?_" Jane whined before letting go of Maura after a goodbye kiss _"You were so naughty already today. I should bring you some vegetables."_ The blonde stated and left with a smile at the brunettes wrinkled nose. Jane checked her out as she left the room making that sexy movement with her hips, Jane was so fond of.


	24. Chapter 24

Friday the Rizzoli-Isles family boarded the private jet of Maura's parents, as the blonde had insisted on it. Even if this meant that she had to swallow her pride and ask her father, who didn't seem to hold as much of a crunch towards her than Constance. But Jane knew that their relationship wasn't good either at the influence of the elder Rizzoli. She suspected somehow that she told her husband what to think or do. Having betrayed her when Maura was a child, he agreed on almost everything out of guilt.

But he had managed to arrange their flight to Boston and home behind Constance's back. Jane leaned on the crutches Maura had bought her so that she could move around, and watched the kids hop around in excitement. Maura was talking to the pilot. When it was safe for them to board the plane, the blonde waved them over.

Jane almost tripped when Julia crossed her path because the girls were chasing each other. Maura walked over to her_. "Are you all right, honey?"_ she softly asked as the brunette took a deep breath. In her eyes another crucial sign that she was older as this incident had almost given her a heart attack.

"_Yeah, I'm fine."_ She smiled after some deep breaths. _"What?"_ she smirked when Maura started to laugh. The blonde quickly pressed her lips against Janes_. "You chase a guy who has a gun which he already used against an officer boldly. But you almost get a heart attack when Julia almost make you fall. I don't get it. But its very sweet. YOU Jane Rizzoli are very sweet."_

Jane grunted as she gave it a thought. Hell, Maura was right_. "its because I'm not trained for such dangerous situations in my private life like I'm trained on the job to chase a bad guy."_ She muttered under her breath as she followed Maura who now held the kids firmly by their hands to the plane.

Once in the plane she stretched her legs and sighed. Glancing towards the blonde she silently thanked her wife for organizing the private jet. The flight wasn't long, but she would have died with the plaster. Maura shot her a quick smile before returning her attention to Sophie and Julia who asked tons of questions, some of which even Maura couldn't answer.

"_I never saw you speechless, dr. googlemouth."_ Jane teased her, when the girls had fallen asleep due to the tiredness after the excitement.

Maura blushed briefly, as if it was a horrible mistake not to know everything, but then she remembered that it was just Jane teasing her and that it had a different meaning than if her mother did say the same.

"_I told you so. But you never believed me."_ she stated matter of factly.

"_The scientist in me has proof now, that you are right. You don't know everything. But it wouldn't matter because I love you either way."_ Jane teased. They approached their faces to share a kiss.

After a short flight the plane made it safe to Boston, where Frankie was already waiting for them. Jane quickly glanced towards the restaurant she had been waiting for her brother almost a year ago. She recalled how Maura and she had met there for the first time in a long time. How Maura had asked if the seat was taken. And everything that followed. It had felt strange to walk into a house which had once been her home back then. It felt strange again, to walk into it as if it was her home.

Frankie took his time to greet Julia and Sophie. He received lots of hugs and wet kisses and grinned from ear to ear. Then he gave Jane a firm hug. _"Good to see you, Janie."_ He said with a big smile. _"And of course, you too, Maura. Ma is going to be so happy about your surprise coming."_

"_I hope so. But its also good to see you and Tommy and the rest of the gang too."_

"_So, on what kind of date did you go this time?"_ Frankie teased and pointed to the cast on Janes leg. A mischievous grin was playing around his mouth.

"_Maura has nothing to do with it this time."_ She paused to wiggle her eyebrows and continued more seriously. _"It happened at work."_

"_Did you at least get him?"_ her brother asked as they all climbed into his car after loading the luggage into the trunk. "_You can be sure of it. That son of a… uhm… you know."_

Maura who was seated in the back with the kids rolled her eyes but smiled. Sometimes she missed Janes swearing and stubbornness. Well of the last she had gotten much more over the last week, since Jane hadn't been able to move around. Then she had been picky concerning the food. But Maura kind of loved if she was that way. It made her laugh, and knowing that Jane knew, she assumed that the brunette did that on purpose sometimes.

"_I'm sorry we're almost late. Do you still wanna go and change?"_

Jane denied, they had calculated this in, unfortunately they hadn't been able to fly earlier without Constance getting to know what was going on. _"We're fine. Where is the party?"_

"_Its at the dirty robber. Tommy, Nina and I did our best. I think that if it weren't for Nina, this whole operation wouldn't have been a success_." They spent some time talking about Nina and their relationship. And the little baby Rizzoli that was on the way.

"_Don't mention words like fat, pickles or talk about birth. She doesn't take it as a joke."_ He instructed them before they rushed into the bar. There was a great hello, as they made the round to greet everybody. Jane was astonished about the size of Nina's belly. Now she understood why the woman wouldn't like hearing the word fat, even if it was in other relations than her body.

For a moment she tried to remember if her belly had had that size when she had been pregnant with Julia. She didn't think so, but maybe she had pushed this memory away out of awkwardness.

"_Twins."_ Frankie whispered as he gave her a beer. _"Nobody knows yet."_

"_Looks more like triplets to me."_ Maura stated in her typical serious manner before Jane could make a remark that Angela Rizzoli probably did know or at least suspect after having three kids on her own.

"Shhhhh" Frankie said and glared at her, but it was too late. Nina had heard it and smirked. "_If these are triplets, I'm going to kill you Francesco Rizzoli. And I'm going to do it in a way that even your sister won't be able to solve the case." _

Frankie rolled her eyes and stood still, while they waited. Angela would be here any minute. _"Uhh, she's really not joking is she?"_ Jane whispered to him and gave him a soft _nudge. "Nope. Not at all. I hope the babies are born soon. She is not the only one dreaming of the perfect murder."_ They chuckled, which earned them another stern look from Nina.

The little group didn't notice when Angela entered the bar. They only realized it, when everybody else started to shout: _Happy birthday, Angela!_

The elder woman acted surprised until she saw Jane and Maura, Sophie and Julia. Then, she was really surprised. There were long hugs and rubbing of their backs during the hugs. Happy faces. It was only later when Angela leaned into Jane and pointed to her leg. _"Another date?"_ she chuckled at her joke and Jane knew that they would never get rid of this joke, which was clearly on them. After rolling her eyes dramatically she joined the laughter.

"_We brought you a present, granny. Wanna see it?"_ Julia asked and tugged at Angela's chair. They had planned to give her the presents later, but Julia and Sophie were too excited. Therefore, Maura reached into the bag they had brought, and took out the wrapped gift_. "Its to make pasta, Mommy said."_ Sophie said smartly, then quickly lifted both hands to cover her mouth, blushing.

"_I'm sorry."_ she whispered as Jane pulled her closer to leave a kiss on her forehead. _"It's okay, sweetie. This happened to all of us when we were your age."_

"_That's true."_ Angela confirmed with a stern look at the siblings who blushed. She unwrapped the gift and took out the pasta machine. "_This is great! I love it!"_ she said and stood to hug the Rizzoli-Isles family_. "I always wanted to have one. But they are so expensive. And aunt Talucci said, that …"_ Angela was interrupted by Julia who moved into her arms. _"I missed you granny."_ She said and Jane noticed how a small tear made its way down her mothers' cheek as she pulled Julia and Sophie closer. " I missed you too."

Later when dinner was done, they stood and walked around to talk to all the guests.

"_Boring?"_ Jane silently asked and nudged TJ who was standing alone at the bar. She lent on the counter next to him and took a sip from her beer_. "One day I want to have what you have. Such a nice little family with kids. I bet your live never gets boring."_

Jane followed his eyes and saw Julia and Sophie fooling around_. "Nope. Can't say that I am bored one minute in my life. But its worth it. I never thought that this would happen. So, as your aunt, and a genuine Rizzoli, I can tell you, that you might have to wait. But it will be worth it."_

"_Yeah, you need to be a special person to keep up with the Rizzoli's and their madness."_ Nina confirmed joining the group.

"_See, I told you. Look what beautiful and patient women we all found."_

"_The key word here is patient."_ Nina said, sipping at some alcohol-free cocktail. "_I miss the times when I could drink alcohol though. It was much more fun back then."_ She smirked and Jane knew that it was half a joke.

"_I missed drinking alcohol too when I was pregnant. But not half of how I missed coffee."_

"_Omg, coffee!"_ Nina groaned. "_I would kill for a cup of coffee."_

Jane chuckled, recalling the feeling when she wanted to destroy everything and kill everybody because she missed out on things and she felt just fat and grumpy because she couldn't even see her feet anymore.

"_When are you due?"_ she asked wondering why TJ was still there. Must be deadly boring she thought, listening to two women talking about their pregnancies.

"_It could happen anytime soon now. That's why Frankie isn't drinking too."_ She pointed to her husband who was just playing along with the kids. _"He is going to be a great father."_ Jane said. _"He was always great with Julia."_

"_I know. You Rizzoli's have that in you. Somehow you make one want to kill you, but you are all soft and kind at heart. I hope these"_ she touched her monster belly _"are going to be more like your family than mine."_

Jane smirked_. "Be careful what you are wishing for."_ She joked.

It was later that night that Jane realized how TJ was walking along with her. She was his hero she thought. She did her best in giving him lots of hugs and touches, that he knew that he was appreciated and loved.

"_So, tell me. How's it going at school?"_ she asked once they had found a quiet corner to talk.

The brunette watched how he fidgeted with his hands. _"I got kicked out of school, because I uhm punched him after he called me a name. So, im working with dad now."_

"_I'm sorry to hear that. Can you go to another school?" _

"_He shrugged. Don't know. Don't even no if I ever want to see such a place anymore."_

"But you were good at school. You could have gone to the BCU."

"_Well I think its plumbing for me now."_ He shrugged. Janes heart broke when she saw how sad he looked.

"_Would it be okay if I talked to your dad and Maura. Maybe we can work something out."_

"_Whatever."_ He said.

"_Oh, come on. Life is full of ups and downs. There will come a time where the ride goes up again. Maybe there is a solution. Okay?"_

"_Okay."_


	25. Chapter 25

A heavy rainstorm had come up during the evening. It wouldn't have mattered as the party was still going on, if it hadn't been for the fact that Nina's water broke that evening.

While Jane was still trying to cheer up TJ, she noticed how somebody called Maura's name. She looked up and saw that Frankie made his way to her through the crowded room to the corner where Maura was standing and chatting with Korsak.

The brunette noticed that Frankie was nervous and decided to walk over to meet him with Maura. The blonde nodded as her brother whispered something into her ear, and Jane changed her direction when she saw how Korsak, Maura and Frankie vanished into the back room of the bar. Unfortunately, she was slowed down by her plaster and the crutches.

By the time she arrived there she found the door closed. Frankie opened slightly and peeked out, when she knocked_. "Are you having a private party or what?"_ she chuckled. There was sweat on Frankie's face, he pulled her into the room without speaking.

Jane knew that Korsak had a little room there with a bed, in case it got late, so that he could sleep there. She also knew that he had never used it. Nina was lying on the bed and Maura was by her side, talking to her.

"_Her water broke. None of us has service and there is a heavy rainstorm."_ Frankie whispered, looking all nervous and worried. _"Its going to be okay."_ Jane said calmly, checking her phone to see if maybe she had a signal. Unfortunately, she hadn't.

"_I don't know what to do Jane."_ Maura whispered, when she met her wife in the corner of the room, while Frankie had made its way to sit with Nina. _"I have never done this before."_ There was clearly panic in her voice, like back then, when Jane had begged her to help Frankie who had been shot. Back then, when she had shot herself in order to safe Frankie and Maura. Jane bit her lip at that memory. But she knew exactly what to do from the situation.

"_Listen, honey. Calm down. Breathe with me. We both know that you have all the information you need in this brilliant brain of yours. Its just the amygdala which kicked in and that blocks the memory. So, you need to close your eyes and to breathe with me."_

Maura's hazel eyes were wide, but she nodded. She must really be in panic Jane mused as Maura had missed her hint to the part of the brain which took over if one was way out of his comfort zone and pnicked. The blonde did as she was told. When they stopped Jane started to ask her questions, which were immediately replied by the doc. _"Good, see. You have all the knowledge."_ The blonde nodded again, walking back to the bed, pulling out some latex gloves from her purse and started to examine Nina.

"_I need towels, hot water if possible."_ Her voice mouthed the orders. It wasn't exactly a piece of cake from then on, but it was going nicely. Everybody did as he was told, while Frankie got his hand crushed by Nina during the process.

Jane who couldn't crouch, stood next to Maura, assisting, handing her whatever she demanded. At first, she hadn't dared looking at the spot between Nina's legs. But as soon the head slowly appeared, she couldn't turn away. Mesmerized by the wonder of bringing a new life into the world.

Her memory was working an extra shift when she recalled giving birth to Julia. How badly she had wished for Maura to be there and help her through it all. She would have really cherished Maura googlemouthing and distracting her and wondered if Maura had felt the same about her when giving birth to Sophie. Had her husband been there? If they had talked about it, she couldn't remember as she continued shifting between her memories and reality.

This was going definitely faster than Julia's birth she thought, watching how the tiny body of a baby boy struggled its way into the life outside the womb. Once he had made it, he was silent as were all people in the room. It was just the blink of an eye, where nobody moved, spoke, and everybody held their breathes. All eyes were on the tiny face, which suddenly twitched as a loud cry cam out of his mouth.

One could feel some tension leave the room when they realized that he was okay. Maura softly put him onto Nina's breast, so that he could bond. When they lay skin on skin the boy got silent again. Frankie glanced at Jane, tears of joy shining in his eyes, together with pride and awe.

She nodded as she didn't trust herself to speak, being close to tears too. And then the siblings shared a smile. Janes eyes turned back to her wife, who was examining Nina's body, giving Frankie and Nina some privacy to share that special moment.

"_Now?"_ she asked Maura silently who exhaled loudly.

"_Now we wait until the second one decides to make its way into the world. This can be in a few minutes up to an hour."_ She shrugged, looking up at Jane who took one of the towels to softly wipe away some tear and sweat stains. Then she bent over to leave a soft kiss on the blonde's mouth.

"_God, I love you."_ She whispered and Maura smiled. They were interrupted when Nina started to stir again. Jane wondered at first how it came that none of the other party guests heard the screams as they appeared to be so loud in her own ears, but she assumed that it was due to the music which was very loud too.

The second child turned out to be a girl, and Jane who had carried the boy, during the birth of his sister now laid him next to his sister onto Nina's chest. She watched how two tiny hands somehow moved towards each other, the little sister laying hers over her brothers.

Jane took out her mobile to take some pictures as Frankie asked her too. She found her hand shaking and the task a bit difficult. Maura stood, a strand of hair loose from her ponytail and hanging into her face. They silently moved into each other's arms, finding comfort in the warmth of the other ones embrace. The brunette could tell that the blonde was kind of exhausted. And when pulling apart she also noticed that Maura's expensive blouse was ruined. As she mentioned so, Maura just shrugged again_. "Never mind. It wasn't my favorite. I'm glad that the two are well and alive."_

When Jane pulled out her phone again to take more pictures, she noticed how she had service again now. The EMT was there in a quarter of an hour. They did some examination of mother and children, talking to Maura, before wheeling the patients out to the car. Frankie tossed Jane his car key, to drive with his family.

When they reemerged into the bar room, all eyes turned to them. Angela was standing at the front of the crowd, a questioning looks on her face. It was then when Jane realized that Maura and her, still wore a quite serious face.

"_A boy and a girl. The doctors say that they are all healthy and fine."_ Jane spoke up her face breaking into a grin while the family and friends were just cheering and hugging each other. Jane felt her mother give her a tight hug_. "Thank you!"_ she said. But Jane replied that she hadn't done anything but assist.

"_Still thank you, Janie. For bringing your family to my birthday. For always being where you are needed." _Jane blushed at her mother's words; she didn't quite know what to say. But she also felt that no more words were necessary, and her mother moved on to hug and thank Maura too.


	26. Chapter 26

A cold wind blew through the streets of Boston as Jane and Maura drove home from the airport. The uber had been late and Jane pulled her jacket around Julia who was sitting on her lap. Feeling how the the tiny body shook in her arms, despite her efforts to warm her up by pressing her to her own body. Jane decided that she would give the kids a long, bubbly bath later and maybe some hot chocolate to calm them down after an exciting weekend.

It had been good to see her family and friends again. And a deep happiness filled her when she thought of how she had been there for the birth of Nicolas and Angie. It was Nina's doing for the most part, that the kids didn't receive the classic Rizzoli family names. The brunette silently chuckled when she remembered the discussion the day after the birth.

She had been holding Nicolas and Maura had been holding Angie. Both swaying slightly to comfort the babies, while Nina had made a point, that it would be kind of weird to have a Frank jr. jr. sort of. Like any good couple they had finally compromised, calling the girl Angie (not Angela, but still close) to satisfy Frankie and the boy got named Nicolas after Nina's Grandfather, who had immigrated from the Netherlands long before world war two.

That night after the party, Maura had asked her why she had decided to name her girl Julia. They were laying face to face in the dark, totally exhausted but immensely happy that it had all gone so well after all. Jane had gently caressed Maura's face and sighed. _"Because I liked the name."_ she had said. It was the simple truth. She asked the blonde about Sophies name, assuming that the name certainly had a bigger meaning. Her assumption was confirmed as she learned that Sophie meant wisdom.

The drive home from the airport seemed to take forever because of the rush hour. Jane caught Maura glancing at her over Sophies head with questioning eyes. "Im fine." She silently mouthed in order to keep the girl on her lap asleep. "Me too." The blonde mirrored Janes behavior. A small smile spread on their faces as they looked at each other for a few more seconds.

When Julia stirred in her arms, Jane nuzzled her head into the tiny neck, a gesture which had always comforted the girl with the dark curls. "We'll be home soon." She whispered into the girls ear, noticing in relieve that the car took a turn into their street.

"_I'm tired."_ Julia whispered, still half asleep, rubbing her eyes.

"_I know, honey. You can go to bed soon."_ The brunette whispered back, leaving a gentle kiss on cheeks which bore the marks of her sweater.

Of course, there was no thought of sleep anymore after getting out of the Uber. Jane watched the kids while Maura payed, noticing the dark clouds over them. The rain began to fall as they walked to their porch.

Jane gave the girls a bath, staying with them the whole time, listening to their thoughts about this weekend. Then it was Maura's turn to listen while tucking them in. Jane could hear them talking as she came out of the shower and smiled. Sophie had started to call her mommy, and Julia was now calling Maura mum. The brunette tilted her head when realizing how complicated it must all sound to an outsider.

Then another thought appeared in her mind. Due to her plaster she would have to stay at home a few days. In a few days she would get back to work for desk duty. A whole weak seemed to be mighty long to spend alone when Maura was at work and the kids were in school.

Especially seeing as she was not used of being slowed down by crutches and a plaster. Her mind was still busy when Maura walked into the room, her eyes still rolling.

"_They both thought that they could stay at home tomorrow, so they can help you."_ The blonde stated with a slight chuckle as she took of her night gown. _"I'm not sure if it's because they don't want to go to school or if they really want to help you."_ She smirked and Jane laughed.

"_Come here."_ Jane said and patted to the spot next to her_. "With our kids its difficult to say. But isn't that why we love them so much, because they have their own little tiny minds and they are so clever?"_ the brunette was sure, that Sophie and Julia were far cleverer than some of the other kids of their age. Sometimes she had to remind herself that they were still very young.

The door flew open, before Maura could even think about a reply and two very awake girls hopped onto the bed. _"We can't sleep."_ Julia said smartly and Sophie nodded in agreement. Each mother embraced their kid and Jane softly caressed Julia's forehead as her daughter moved closer to her. There was some shaking with the butt to find a comfortable position and once it was found, Julia gave a deep sigh.

"_Good night my Angel. I love you."_ Jane whispered into her ears, kissing her cheek, like she had always done before getting together with Maura. The last thing she heard from the kids before they fell asleep ten minutes later was a: _"Good night Ma, Mommy, Mum. We love you."_

Jane chewed on her lips, glancing over the heads to Maura who was still caressing Sophie gently.

They shared a deep look and a happy smile, Jane finally turning to switch off the lights. "_Thank god for the king size bed."_ The brunette finally dared to whisper as Sophie was snoring loudly.

The mums looked down at the kid facing them and chuckled. Jane noticed how Julia had been growing over the last few months. She could feel it in her arms. This probably meant that they would need to get shopping soon for reasonable winter clothes. She silently groaned when imagining the long hours in the overheated stores.

She found it kind of funny though, that Julia loved shopping as much as Maura did, while she and Sophie didn't like it at all. It was as if somehow some genes of her wife were living in her daughter and vice versa.

"_A penny for your thoughts."_ Maura whispered towards Jane, hearing the sound of unpleasantness.

"_I was just thinking that we need to go shopping for winter clothes for the girls."_

"_Ahhh, this will be fun."_ The blonde chuckled and Jane could feel the excitement vibration off her wife.

"_Not for all of us."_ She teased and smirked although Maura couldn't probably see her over all the hair and the darkness.

"_We'll compromise."_ Maura stated matter of factly.

One of the things Jane loved about her wife was the fact, that she never told her how to dress. She realized that they might make a funny couple with Maura always dressed like coming from a photo shoot and Jane with her wrinkled cheap suits.

Well, cheap wasn't probably the right word. They weren't cheap per se. but also not as expensive as Maura's clothes. Although sharing a taste for good food and what they considered nice things, they also had different opinions about various stuff.

If you walked into their bedroom for example you found Maura's nightstand always clean and empty and her clothes always nicely hung. While Janes side was always full of books, sometimes stapled so high that one couldn't see the lamp and her clothes were simply thrown over a chair if at all.

"_It's a good balance."_ Jane had once joked when Maura had pointed out to the different nightstands. "_One extreme on one side, the other extreme on the other side."_


	27. Chapter 27

„_Rizzoli, to my office! "_ Cavanaugh's voice thundered through the squad room and made Jane rub her temple. Her eyes mischievously glanced at the pile of files she had to work through before finally getting away for a few days to celebrate Christmas in Boston with her family. Maura had texted earlier that she was already at home, starting the preparation for their journey, and Jane wanted nothing more than get over with the paperwork to join her and the kids.

"_Close the door!"_ he ordered once she had made her way into his office, grunting slightly and slumping down into the chair which was there for guests. The brunette watched him smirk while his fingertips were pulled together in front of his chest.

"_Sergeant Lucas is going to retire soon."_ He opened the conversation, shooting her an excited look. There was something stirring in Janes mind, but she couldn't grab it. Therefore, she waited for Cavanaugh to continue.

"_Jane, we've known each other for a long time."_ He leant towards her, now resting his arms on his desk. _"I want you to apply for the job. You already passed the sergeant test with flying flags, you have the best rate in the department and we both know that you are more than qualified for the job. What do you say?"_

The brunette felt her jaw drop. Her mind and heart were racing. Never would she have expected to get such an opportunity so soon. She glanced into his eyes which showed excitement but also worry. He wanted her to take the job, and if she was honest, she was more than ready to do so. This meant that she would be less on the streets and more at the desk. It was safer than being a detective. And save was what she wanted after having a family now.

Still unable to speak Jane nodded slowly. A wide smile split across her bosses face_. "Its just a formality you know. I already prepared your application and talked to my bosses. The only thing standing between you and the job is your signature." _

She watched him pull some papers out of the first drawer of his desk, sliding them over to her together with a pen. _"Why me._" she asked in disbelieve rolling the pen between her index finger and her thumb.

"_Because you are best qualified. Simple as that."_ He shrugged, leaning back in his chair. _"You earned this, Rizzoli. But if you have any doubts you can have some time to think it over."_

I should talk about it with Maur, Jane thought. But on the other hand, she was sure that her wife would welcome the benefits which came along with the job. She gave a deep sigh, reading through the application. By the time she had reached the part where she had to sign, she was sure that this was the best thing to do and put her name into the blank spot designated for her signature.

Cavanaugh took the papers back and carefully put them back into the drawer, locking the whole thing_. "Sergeant Lucas has lots of holidays and sick days. Which means that you can have his job by the end of January. We will make an announcement to your colleagues then."_ He smiled. _"I'm happy you took this decision."_

Jane still felt overwhelmed when she pulled into the driveway of their house two hours later. Sergeant! She thought and smiled as she remained in the car after she had cut the engine, unable to move. What a year this had been, she thought. Meeting Maura at the airport, the dark times when she had come home after Christmas, their fight which brought them together the way it was meant to be, the wedding, the holiday, the adoption of the kids, the renovation of the house and now a promotion.

She glanced at the hands which were resting in her lap, taking a deep sigh. She couldn't really see the scars Hoyt had left on them because of the dark, but she could feel them. It hit her, that she hadn't touched or rubbed them in a long time and smiled. Hoyt hadn't won, she thought and life had moved on.

A knock to her car window made her snap back to reality. _"Jane, are you okay?"_ Maura asked through the glass, her cardigan pulled tight around her body. The brunette smiled at her, climbing out of the vehicle, feeling some snowflakes dancing around her head. Life was good, she thought as she pulled her wife into a bone-crushing hug.

"_What is it?"_ Maura asked, still worried. _"Why don't you come inside?"_

Jane pulled away from the hug, to look at the blonde. Her hand moved to put a strand of blonde hair which had fallen out of the ponytail behind Maura's ears.

"_Nothing. I just thought how beautiful you are and how wonderful life is."_ Jane mumbled.

"_Are you drunk?"_ Maura asked cautiously, studying the brunette.

"_No, I'm not drunk. Cavanaugh called me into his office today and offered me the job as a sergeant."_ Jane explained and chuckled when she saw how Maura was as surprised as she had been. One could literally see the wheels turning in the blondes' mind.

"_But that's great! You will spend less time on the street then."_ Her wife said with a huge smile before furrowing her eyebrows_. "On the other hand, maybe not so great for you as you hate desk duty."_

Jane was sure, that she would never forget this moment when they were standing in the falling snow, and the greatness of Maura to accept that Jane would decline the offer because she hated desk duty. The feeling to be understood and loved no matter what warmed her heart.

"_It will be fine. I already signed the papers. I hate paperwork, but you know what I hate even more?"_

Maura bit her lips, tilting her head in no. "_Getting killed on the streets, not seeing Julia or Sophie grow up, not being able to see you anymore, not being able to make you smile anymore when you are sad and many more things like that. I love you, Maur." _

She could still see a frown on Maura's face and worried hazel eyes. "_I want this too Jane. But I don't want you to be mad at me one day for the things you have given up. I don't want you to think that I wouldn't understand or put pressure on you."_

"_I know, Maur. But you don't have to worry. I thought this through. And believe me, its fine. There was a time when work was the most important thing to me. But this has changed over the last year."_ Her arms reached out to pull Maura closer again, leaving a soft kiss onto the forehead of the blonde. _"I love you."_ She whispered again.

Pure love appeared in Maura's hazel eyes as she said: _"I love you too, Jane."_

"_Come on, babe. It's too cold to stay outside."_ Jane softly said and laced up fingers with her wife as they walked the small path towards the house. Julia and Sophie were already waiting behind the door and Jane crouched to tickle them_. "Are you okay, ma?"_ Julia asked embracing her mother after Jane was through with her attack.

"_Yeah, honey. Im okay. __Its all fine. Don't worry."_

"_Why is mum crying then?" _her daughter said with wide eyes.

"_You know, sometimes people cry when they are happy. And mum is happy, because I got a better job now, and she has to worry less about me."_

She watched how her daughter mulled over her words, before she started to grin. "_I can't cry over that, but I'm happy too."_ The girl finally said smarty and gave her another hug.

R&I

"_I'm sorry."_ Jane whispered later after they had made love.

"_What for?"_ Maura silently asked, propping up onto her elbow to study her wife. Jane sighed.

"_I knew that you were worried about me and my job. But I never realized what a burden it must have been to you over all these years_."

"_It was part of your job, and the job was a big part of you. I knew that this was part of the package which you would bring into the relationship. I always tried to not think about all the horrible things that could happen to you. But when you came home tonight and told me, I allowed myself to realize how happy your decision makes me. I hope though that you don't think that I'm selfish."_

"_You know what I have been thinking about when I was sitting in the car?"_ Jane whispered, enjoying the soft caresses Maura's hand left on her cheek_. "I thought about the last 12 months. About how we started at the airport, how we fought, how we found each other. And most of all I thought that I never want to lose this." _

"_You mean that you are willing to be googlemouthed till the rest of your life?"_ Maura teased.

"_Oh, yeah. And I'm looking forward to enjoy the rest of the package that comes with you too for every single day until my hair is grey. And I hope that by then we will sit happily on our deck, drinking beer and wine and be happy."_

"_Hmm I like that picture."_ Maura smiled and rested her head back on Janes shoulders, listening to the steady heartbeat which always managed to calm her down.


	28. Chapter 28

Julia and Sophie joined their mothers in bed early next morning. It was the day the family was supposed to travel to Boston to spend the holidays with Janes family. The brunette had a hard time to wake up and realize what was happening because she had woken up several times during the night. There were no nightmares like there used to be after Hoyt, but her mind was clearly occupied with the promotion and all the changes to her live over the last year.

When she opened one eye, she found three people staring at her expectantly. A slow groan escaped her lips, the wish to just turn around and go back to sleep was burning in her. "_Good morning, gorgeous._" Maura said, a soft smile playing around her lips.

"_Good morning."_ Jane mumbled in her sleepy voice. She rubbed her temples while the girls where chatting and asking questions already.

"_Ma, when is the plane going? Mommy, can I sit by the window? Will we get some food during the flight? How long will the flight be?"_ And many more questions were fired merciless towards her and Maura. She noticed that the blonde tried to answer them one by one.

Jane caught some worried looks from Maura during breakfast, where the girls vividly chatted about plans for the holidays. "Will uncle Frankie go ice-skating with us again?" Sophie asked and Jane could see the hope shimmering in the girl's eyes.

"_I don't know sweetie. But we will ask him as soon as we are there, okay?"_ Jane replied softly. Despite being at her second cup of coffee this morning she still felt sore, her eyes were burning and the only thing which she wanted to do right now was go back to bed and sleep.

"_Are you regretting your decision?"_ Maura asked quietly when she stood in the kitchen with Jane after breakfast. They had worked in silence for a while, Jane washing the dishes, Maura drying them and putting them back into the drawer.

Jane stopped and looked surprised at Maura. _"No, why?"_

She saw how Maura sucked in her lip to chew on it. A habit which told Jane that her wife was nervous. _"I just thought so, because you seem to be grumpy this morning."_

"_I don't regret taking the job. I had my time chasing the perps. This change is welcome to me. It's just that I have a lot going on in my mind. Don't ask me why. Maybe its PMS related or something."_ She shrugged and gave Maura what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

They finished cleaning up in silence. Julia's and Sophies voices came drifting down the hall from one of their bedrooms. Jane could hear how they explained Brownie how they would be away for a few days, assuring him that everything would be fine, as their neighbors would come over and take care of him.

Jane smiled to herself, as she listened carefully. Her background check on the Ashley and her husband had come back clean. Obviously, they were living the same happy life as she and Maura did. Somehow, she was still happy that they hadn't needed them so far. Cavanaugh usually made sure, that one of them was able to leave work in time to pick the girls up and do homework with them.

Sometimes the brunette got the feeling that he acted like a father to them and she wondered why. Snapping back to reality she glanced at the watch to see that she had half an hour left before the uber would appear. Just enough time for short shower and dressing herself and the kids. Today they would fly with a commercial plane which was totally fine.

Maura was still in the bathroom, when she pushed the door open. Another worried look studied her as she quickly shed her clothes, putting them into the basket for the dirty laundry. She stopped before walking into the shower to wrap her arms around Maura's waist and glanced at their reflection in the mirror. They made a sweet couple she thought, kissing the blonde's shoulder. _"It's okay Maur. Really! I don't regret it. Can it be that something is bothering you though?"_

The petites body stifled in her arms while Maura pretended to be busy with her make up. Jane could feel how Maura averted her eyes. When she didn't get an answer, she turned around and sighed. Time was running and she needed to get ready. But she kept wondering what was going on.

R&I

The brunette spent most of the flight still wondering about Maura. But she also used some of it to walk down memory lane. It had been one year to the day, that they had met in the restaurant at the airport. And back then she would have never dreamt of what was going to happen. If someone asked her, she would never admit to having a soft side, scared of losing her badass reputation.

There were several reasons. For one she feared her colleagues making fun of her. She was still only one of few female detectives – or sergeants now at NYPD. And of course, the prejudice that this was a men's job was still prevailing among her co-workers. And second she didn't want to appear weak.

She hadn't lied to Maura earlier though when stating that the whole soft and touchy thing was related to PMS. PMS always drove her nuts; it made her feel more vulnerable and she knew that her nerves were a bit thinner in these days every month. But she usually managed to hide it well.

After passing the custom without any incidence they walked towards the Exit. Dark clouds were covering Boston's sky, dropping their load in form of snowflakes to the earth. Frankie was waiting close to the doors for them, crouching to welcome Sophie and Julia who had started running when spotting him_. "There are my favorite girls."_ He chuckled and tickled them. Then he pulled them both into a deep hug.

Jane glanced at Maura who had the same happy face as she when watching the scene. When it was Janes turn to hug Frankie, she rubbed his back happily. "_Good to see you again little brother." _She said. "You too favorite sister." He teased her, and she raised an eyebrow. "I'm your only sister as far as I know." She did him the favor to play along.

It was always good to see Frankie, Jane thought when her brother moved to hug Maura. The kids had kept him busy. Their calls had become less and less since the birth of the twins, and she could see dark circles under tired eyes.

R&I

Frankie found Jane on terrace with a beer in hand like the previous year. Dinner had been delicious and there was the usual Rizzoli madness with all the siblings and their kids. It was good to have a bit of quietness and relax.

The snow was still falling in thick flakes, covering the already white ground with more layers. Frankie silently handed her another bottle as hers was almost empty.

"_Thank you."_ She said, sticking it into some snow in order to keep it cold.

"_Maura and Nina are having some diaper talk. I thought we could talk about some adult subjects."_ He chuckled. Jane joined his soft laughter knowing that he meant that they were talking about bottles and motherhood in general.

"_Yeah, sounds good."_ She said, sitting down onto one of the chairs. He did the same and there was comfortable silence for a while.

"_I got offered a promotion."_ Jane spoke into the silence glancing at her brother to gauge his reaction.

"_Wow! That's great! Did you take it?"_

"_Yeah. In one months', time I will be sergeant."_ She smiled.

"_Congratulations, Janie! You deserve it."_ He said with a big grin. She could see how he was happy for her. He had always been like that and she thought that she was lucky to have her family. She smiled a small smile to herself.

"_One day, you will be sergeant to."_ she said without any doubt, her voice filled with pride.

"_Ahh, who knows. First, I have to survive this kid thing."_ he chuckled. Jane knew what he meant. She recalled all these sleepless nights all too well and could only imagine that with twins it must be much more exhausting.

"_You have no idea!"_ he said, when she said so, taking a big sip from his bottle. "_But somehow its not so bad. They are so sweet."_ his smile was so bride that it was literally lighting up the dark around him.

"_Now I get why Cavanaugh called me the other day and offered me a position as a detective though."_ He suddenly said. Jane almost choked on her beer.

"_What?"_

"_Yeah, he called last week and told me that he had an opening and that he would like to see both Rizzoli's in one division again. He also mentioned that he would have a job for Nina when she was ready to get back to work."_

Jane mulled over Frankie's words in silence. It had never occurred to her that Cavanaugh needed to replace her. Nor had she expected that he would ask her brother. But it made perfect sense to her when she thought at how bad the rates were at her precinct.

She realized quickly that she would love having her brother closer but she doubted that h would move his family to New York at all of the places. And what would b with her mother.

"_What did you say?"_ her voice sounded curious.

"_That I needed some time to think. Moreover, that I had to talk to Nina."_

"_Jane?" _

"_Yeah?"_

"_What do you say?"_

"_Why do you ask me?"_ she questioned surprised, tilting the beer in her bottle.

"_Because you are my big sister and I want your opinion. If I did this, you would also be my boss."_ He shrugged.

She chuckled softly. "_Well, I think it's your decision to take. You kind of stepped out of my shadow, stopped being Jane Rizzoli's little brother. If you come to NY it will start all over again."_

"_I don't care about that Jane. And just so you know. You will always be a legend at BPD. I never stopped being compared to you. And I don't mind. I'm rather proud of it. I wouldn't even mind if you were my boss."_

"_But?"_

"_Ma. And I think that you moved away for a reason, which we both know is the family. I don't want you to get the feeling that we are following you, disturbing your peace."_

Jane was surprised once more. She hadn't expected Frankie to even consider moving to NY.

"_Well, honestly? I'd love it if you came to New York. I would love to work with you again. I miss you Frankie. And I'm sure that Maura and Nina would be delighted too if we lived closer to each other."_

"_I miss you too, Jane. And I, we want to do this. We could spend more time with each other. The kids could grow up together. And the benefit would be that we get paid better."_

"_Ma?"_ Jane asked silently.

"_We haven't said anything yet. I first wanted to know that you won't get mad." _He nudged her.

"_Hell, yeah! What a burden._" She teased him, feeling lighthearted on one side and scared because of her mother on the other. _"Just tell us when you need helping hands with moving. We are almost pros at it."_ She winked.


	29. Chapter 29

January brought a lot more snow. Jane couldn't quite remember when they last had such a winter. She watched the kids build a snowman in the yard. The third snowman of the day to be precise, with every snowman getting noticeable bigger.

She wasn't surprised when she heard Sophies voice calling after her_. "Mommy, we need your help!"_ The girls giggled while standing in front of a pile of snow which was higher than them. She couldn't help but laugh as she put on her jacket and shoes.

"_We try to make the biggest snowman of all times."_ Julia informed her in between some laughter. _"Do you think we are on a good way?"_

Jane tilted her head, chuckling. _"I think so."_ She said, looking at the sphere up from close. She doubted that she would be able to bring it onto the bigger sphere which was already sitting in the garden though. _"I think we might need a ladder."_ She mumbled, walking towards the shed, followed by two excited girls.

She silently cursed Frankie for giving them the almanac about world records for Christmas. Since they had laid their eyes on the book, they tried to break any record they could think off.

Upon returning with the ladder on her shoulder she noticed her wife standing on the deck with a questioning look. _"What are you doing?"_ she asked.

"_We're obviously trying to build the biggest snowman in the world."_ Jane replied as the girls couldn't due to their giggling. Jane winked with her eyebrow, seeing a smile tugging at Maura's mouth. The blonde walked back into the house returning shortly after in full gear_. "You will need help with this."_ She said while joining them to everybody's delight.

"_I think we will need much more help."_ Jane said after they had tried to put the ball on top of the other for about half an hour.

"_You might call Frankie."_ Maura joked, seemingly cursing her brother in law too.

"_Call me for what?"_ he asked as he maneuvered both babies in their car seats through the door.

"_Uncle Frankie, we need your help! Ma and mum are not able to put the sphere on top of this one."_ Julia pointed to the huge one with her pinkie_. "we want to build the biggest snowman on earth."_ She smartly filled her uncle in.

"_uh oh. I see. Let me show you how it goes."_ He said, rubbing his hands while walking over. Nina shook her head and laughed, staying with the babies.

First, Frankie chased the girls through the garden. Jane pulled her head between her shoulders when snowballs started to fly. She was surprised when one hit her, coming from Maura's side. "_You too?" _she mumbled in surprise and bent down to form a huge one and threw it back in revenge.

It didn't take long until everybody was wet and out of breath from laughing. They walked into the house, leaving the spheres of the snowman behind. Jane was sure though, that the girls hadn't forgotten about their project permanently and that it would come up tomorrow at the latest for breakfast.

Shoes were dropped on the deck and there was a big hello once they were inside as Frankie and Nina had just arrived from Boston. Jane and Maura had offered them to stay the few days they had planned on being in NY to find a new home. The upside was that the couple could also take care of the twins so that Frankie and Nina had less stress.

Frankie went to fetch the luggage from the trunk, while Maura and Nina padded off into the kitchen to prepare some dinner. Jane finally found herself alone with the task to undress the two girls. Both Julia and Sophie had pink cheeks from running around in the garden and were beaming.

"_Can we go see the babies?"_ Sophie asked, already walking towards the kitchen where Nicolas and Angie were sleeping silently in their car seats.

"_Just to say hi, honey. Afterwards we need you to get showered or take a bath, okay?"_

"_Kay."_ Came from Julia who ran after Sophie, once she was out of her clothes too.

Sophie and Julia turned away from the babies after some minutes, bored because they were only sleeping. Therefore, Jane could easily make them take a bath and got them dressed. By the time they were ready, dinner was ready too.

Jane was just happy to have Nina and Frank around. They joked and talked a lot, making plans about the future. Angela hadn't responded well at first when she had learned that she would lose another child to New York. But she had finally given up ranting. _"You can visit us anytime, ma."_ Frankie and Jane had promised finally. "_And so we can take care of each other a bit better."_ Had tackled her attitude that a family should always care for each other.

The plan for Frankie and Nina was to find a house before the end of the month, Jane would be presented as new sergeant by the end of the month, then Frankie would be introduced as replacement for her as a detective the following week. Although it was all still two weeks away, Jane offered Frankie and Nina to show them the precinct on one of the following days.

After dinner, they looked at some houses Nina and Frankie had laid eyes on. Most of them were in the close neighborhood as Jane noticed upon reading the addresses. Most houses needed a lot of renovations as they were old like theirs. Hence, they were being sold for reasonable prices. Tommy could do the plumbing and Maura and she could help if they liked.

She could tell that Nina had already fallen for a special two-story house with a big garden down the road. The brunette passed it every day on her way to work. She liked it a lot, and supported Nina in Nina's argumentation why they should buy it. Frankie who wasn't that convinced yet gave in and planned to call the owners first thing in the morning.

R&I

It was far beyond midnight when Jane woke up because she needed to use the bathroom. She rolled her eyes when passing the guestroom from which she heard snoring sounds. It had been ages since she had slept under the same roof as Frankie, she realized. And it hit her that Maura had once mentioned that Jane snored_. I hope I don't snore like this_. She mumbled to herself when she walked towards the staircase, seeing some light downstairs.

"_Can I hold her?"_ she quietly asked Nina who had just finished breastfeeding Angie.

"_Sure."_ Nina whispered and her face was covered with a soft smile when she handed the baby gingerly over to Jane.

The brunette glanced at her niece, mesmerized by her tiny body and that beautiful baby smell. She kissed Angies head softly and watched the girl fall asleep.

"_I used to spend hours like this with Julia."_ She stated, swaying the tiny bundle in her arms. _"I used to sing to her, when she couldn't sleep."_ Nina smiled and watched her. _"You're a great mum, Jane."_

"_Uhh, I don't know. I have my doubts sometimes…" _

"_It must have been very hard doing it on your own for such a long time."_

Jane stopped swaying. _"Yeah."_ She simply said, kissing the baby's forehead sitting down onto the couch next to her sister in law.


	30. Chapter 30

Being a sergeant was great. Jane hadn't expected it to be so cool. It had its downside though: the brunette got less often to meet Maura at a crime scene. And she kind of missed their old soothing routine.

She was just sitting at her desk, rubbing her tired eyes and having a coffee when the door suddenly flew open and Maura stormed into the room. Not knowing what was going on, the brunette took down her glasses to watch an incredible scene unfold in front of her.

One of the detectives had followed the blonde and both were now standing in the middle of the bullpen, yelling at each other. Janes jaw dropped as she had never seen her wife so emotional and aggressive before. It made her wonder what had happened. Unfortunately, she couldn't make it out through the shouting.

"_Stop it!"_ she shouted fiercely at one point and both – the detective and Maura – turned towards her. Both with an angry expression on their face. Jane rubbed her temple, wishing she had taken something again the headache earlier. It would be more helpful now.

"_Could you please tell me, what this is all about?"_ she tried to stay calm. To her dismay, both started to talk at the same time. Jane held up her hand to stop them again. _"Please, not both at the same time. Why don't you tell me what's going on detective Reid?" _

Maura shot her an angry glare for not being asked to talk first, but she ignored it. Maura would get her chance to say what's on her mind too. She watched as the detective licked his lips nervously. _"Dr. Isles keeps analyzing my evidence last. Even if a case came in later, she takes care of the evidence before she does with mine which was first." _

The brunette silently glanced at her wife who was standing still, arms crossed in front of her chest. Her face showed nothing than anger with the pouted lips and furrowed eyebrows. Jane furrowed her eyebrows too, mulling over the fact if this was possible. As far as she knew her wife usually worked every case meticulously and did no such thing. She couldn't believe the accusations, but she couldn't ignore them either just because Maura was her wife. She had to listen to the complaint, if she wanted to do a good job.

"_Dr. Isles? What's your statement to this?"_ she asked, feeling slightly torn between the wish to hold and sooth her and the fact that she had to handle this professionally. Otherwise word would get out, that she was not able to do the job, and worse: that she wasn't able to work together with her wife.

Hazel eyes turned to her and Jane felt as if they were burning holes into her soul_. "I can only say that this is not true. I handle every case with care. I don't work differently just because of the detective who is responsible for the case." _Her voice was firm, but Jane knew that she was fighting with tears.

"_Do you have any proof to underline your accusations, Reid?"_ she questioned the detective who was watching them with eagle eyes.

"_I have no proof. How could i? she's good at what she's doing!"_ he spat. Jane sighed. Situations like these often landed at her desk. Some of the detectives kept thinking that they were bullied even if it wasn't true. And some were really bullied but suffered in silence and didn't complain. The hole homicide division sometimes felt like a huge kindergarten full of: _Miss Rizzoli, Brian slapped me; Miss Rizzoli, Connie stole my lunch. Etc._

"_Well, if there is no proof, Reid, its word against word. I, personally can't decide who is right and who is wrong. Or if its just a misunderstanding maybe. If you have the feeling it happens again, come to me immediately and we'll see. That's all I can offer."_ She quietly said, shaking her head. Maura wasn't running from the room exactly but Jane could see that she was hurt and that she felt betrayed which kind of hurt her too. Jane knew that she was in for a huge fight when coming home after work.

She took a deep breath as she settled into her chair again. A soft knock on the door made her look up and she wasn't surprised to find Cavanaugh standing in the doorframe with a crooked smile. _"Good job, Rizzoli."_ He stated, fetching a seat from a nearby desk to have a seat.

"_I hope Maura is going to understand later."_ She mumbled. Of course, they had their fights like any other couple. And since both could be very stubborn, it sometimes resulted in Jane sleeping on the couch. This usually happened once a year. But they usually ended up admitting to each other that they were stupid and talking through it before making up with sex.

But even though it always ended well, Jane rather preferred not to fight and hated it when Maura hated her.

"_I can talk to her if you like."_ Cavanaugh suggested but Jane declined his offer. She had to solve the problem herself. Her boss nodded as he gave her an understanding look. "_Working with your partner can be pretty hard. But you really did well. I just wanted to let you know."_ With that he stood and left her to her paperwork.

R&I

Jane silently braced herself for a thunderstorm upon pulling into the driveway of the house which had become a home to them five years ago. Five years which had passed so fast that she sometimes wondered if they had just been a dream. She cut off the engine and sat in the dark car, watching the shadows passing in front of the windows. Just like back then when she had signed up to be sergeant.

Tonight, Maura wasn't knocking at her window though and she let her mind wander in order to deflect from the knot which had formed in her gut over the day. When she left the car, Brownie walked down the path towards her, greeting her with a soft purr. He dropped to the ground so that she could rub his belly.

At the beginning he had been reluctant to leave the house, but he ad finally come around a few years ago and was now always the first to greet her. She bent down and gave him a good number of strokes, talking to him softly. Like usually he purred loud and rolled around until he decided that it was enough. Then he would follow her into the house for a good meal.

Today was no exception. Jane grabbed the flowers and the bottle of Maura's favorite red wine before making her way to the door. _"I'm home."_ She shouted, dropping her gear into the safe, locking up her gun and everything.

Two ten-year-old girls came dashing down the hall with their whipping ponytails to hug her. _"Mum is in the kitchen cooking dinner. She was quite pissed when she came home."_ Julia whispered while being embraced by two long arms. "_But I bet you know why."_ Her daughter pointed to the flowers and the bottle and chuckled a bit. Jane bit her lips and decided not to scold her for the words she had used.

The girls were both smart. Too smart or grown up for her taste sometimes she thought as she watched them walk back to their rooms.

Maura was indeed in the kitchen, but to Janes surprise she wasn't mad anymore.

"_I'm sorry. You know I can't take your side just because you are my wife."_ She apologized anyways, holding out the flowers to the blonde. Maura wiped her hands into a dish towel while walking around the kitchen island.

"_I know, honey. I'm sorry for being mad at you."_ A soft kiss was planted on Janes mouth and Maura took the flowers and the wine out of her hand. _"My favorite."_ She smiled, looking for the corkscrew to pull the cork. _"It goes perfect with the duck in orange sauce I prepared tonight."_

Jane was kind of taken aback by the unexpected warm welcome. While going to fetch two glasses for the wine she wondered what had happened. "_Uhm, I don't want to complain. But why aren't you mad at me anymore?"_ she asked, placing the glasses onto the table.

Eyebrows were furrowed on the other side of the counter. _"I wont lie to you, Jane. At first, I felt betrayed and hurt. But I came to realize that you didn't take a side. You just did your job. And I get that it would be highly unprofessional if you would have taken my side."_

Like that the subject was off the table and Jane knew better than to talk about whether Reid accusations were right or wrong. Personally, she just couldn't believe that Maura would do such thing. Her wife was far to correct. And Reid had a history in the department for falsly accusing co-workers.

"_Julia, Sophie. Go wash your hand, dinner is ready!"_ she shouted down the halls, listening until she heard a door open. Then she sat down at her place, pouring the wine into the glasses. Dinner was delicious as always and Jane rubbed her belly afterwards.


	31. Chapter 31

Later, Jane sat on the steps of the deck glancing into the stars. She was thankful that they had managed the incident with detective Reid without any fight. Even after being together for almost six years they had things to learn. And with each challenge they grew, personally but also as a couple.

Jane couldn't help but be proud of themselves. When she walked into the house, she found Maura on the couch, reading some medical journey.

"_Hey!"_ she softly said, flashing her dimples to the blonde.

"_Hi."_ Maura moved that Jane could sit down and watch TV. The ME placed her legs onto Janes lap and continued reading. When Jane glanced at the cover, she silently cringed. There was some line about getting pregnant above 40.

Maura had told Jane that she wanted to have another child together a few weeks ago. The brunette's reaction had been not so positive. The reason was that she didn't want to start the diaper changing and getting up in the night all over again. Then she had calculated that they would be 65 by the time the kid turned 18. To her, family life was fine. They were settled and everything was smooth.

Maura had silently listened to her reasons and agreed partly. But Jane knew that the wish was still there although she had accepted Janes point of view. Jane felt just grateful for Mauras respect and her reaction had only deepened her love for the ME.

A deep sigh from her made Maura put down her journal and their eyes locked.

"_I've been thinking…"_ the brunette started, massaging the blonde's feet. "_Its been a while since we went on a date. With work and the kids and…."_ Another small sigh: _"I thought it would be nice to go out again. Have fun, spent some time by ourselves. What do you say?"_

It was the truth. While they had taken care to go out regularly at the beginning of their relationship, they now didn't go out anymore at all. And as it usually goes: one week you don't go out because one of the kids is sick, the next week you are tired from work and slowly you forget how good it is to have this quality time for your relationship. Jane missed it terribly. She pulled out an envelope from her pocket and handed it to Maura who glanced first at the envelope and then at Jane with a risen eyebrow.

As the blonde took it, their fingers softly touched, and Jane smiled. She watched as Maura carefully opened the envelope and peeked inside. A wide grin spread on the blonde's face when taking out a voucher for a day at their favorite spa.

"_It includes massages and other special treatments."_ Jane stated, feeling Maura moving into her arms. _"Thank you! It's a great present. I love it."_ The brunette chuckles softly, relieved that her idea was taken so well.

"_I don't have to go with you, do i?"_ Maura asked and Janes heart dropped for a moment until she realized that it had been a joke. She exhaled loudly as Maura laughed.

"_We could go this weekend."_ She said. _"I've already got rid of my on-call duty, you have the weekend off anyways and Frankie and Nina would be willing to look after Sophie and Julia."_

Maura seemed mighty happy about the idea and started talking about the treatments they needed to take. She rambled about what she wanted to do, and Jane stopped her, laughing_. "Wait, Maur. We don't want this to be stressful. We can do this more often. And maybe the girls could stay with Frankie and Nina overnight."_ The brunette took a mental note to check for it later.

R&I

After a few more days it was time for their weekend. Jane awoke early that Saturday, excited and joyful. They snuggled a bit, before the kids told them that it was time to get up by capturing their bed. The perspective of spending a whole weekend with their uncle and their aunt had left them almost sleepless the past nights. But seeing them jumping around the house reminded Jane that it didn't affect a ten-year-old as much as it did a 40-year-old.

"_I'm going to check their duffle bags."_ Maura chuckled while Jane busied herself cleaning up after breakfast. It had turned out that Julia and Sophie had already packed their bags on Thursday, after finding out about the weekend plans.

Maura informed Jane that they had only packed stuffed animals and pillows instead of clothes and underwear after dropping them off at Frankie's. Jane had a good laugh, to be honest she had expected such thing as the priorities to the children were clearly different than to the adults.

R&I

After a relaxing day, they went to have dinner at their favorite French restaurant. Jane had to chuckle every time when she made Maura say the name le beau truc. She simply loved hearing her wife speak French because it always sounded sexy.

Glances were exchanged openly but also secretively over the menus and the waiter had to return at least three times until they were ready to order. They talked about various topics, but never about the work.

"_You know, you look really gorgeous."_ Maura stated after some comforting silence had been lingering between them while they ate. The blonde sipped at her wine, grinning sheepishly when Jane blushed.

"_Thank you. You look beautiful too."_ The brunette replied with a soft smile reaching for the blonde's hand. "_And thank you for this day."_

"_Uhm. I didn't know how much I missed this until you reminded me Jane._" Maura replied with beaming eyes. "_You are always so kind and attentive. I'm so glad to call you my wife. There is no one else I ever could imagine spending my life with but you."_

"Well I hope so." Jane snorted jokingly, becoming serious when their hands touched as they smiled at each other. _"We're a good team."_ Jane stated. "_Like you once said: we're a match." _

"_We've always been_…" Maura smiled.

R&I

Upon coming home, Jane pushed Maura who had just closed the door behind them towards the door. This day had been a lot of things: fun, romantic, talkative but most of all arousing to Jane.

"_Uh oh."_ Maura softly chuckled against the claiming lips of the brunette. "_That's new."_

"_You like it?"_ Jane grinned, seeing the slight blush on a surprised face.

"_Depends on where this lead."_ The blonde said cheekily, suppressing a deep moan as Janes lips worked on her sensitive spot close to her ears. The brunette lifted her wife up into the air, so that she could wrap her legs around the slim waist.

"_Is this the right way?"_ she panted as she tried to fumble the buttons of Maura's blouse open.

Maura who had wrapped her arms around the brunette's neck nodded before two pairs of dark eyes locked on each other to check if everything was okay. When seeing that it was, Jane took Maura away from the entrance hall and carried her onto the kitchen counter, the blonde's legs still wrapped around her waist.

Once Maura sat, seemingly pleased by the change of location she loosened the legs and straddled them so that Jane could step in between them. Her hands were already working on taking off the oxford-shirt Jane was wearing exposing the tank top which was like a glove over Jane curves. Her fingers traced the olive skin down from the chin to the rim of the fabric.

Jane watched her sweet expression as Maura took in every detail of her body. A soft whimper escaped her mouth when a thumb softly stroked over the already erected nipples. It didn't take long until her tank top landed on the floor and the blonde unclasped the hooks of her bra with one hand while the other was holding her by the side.

She let the darkened hazel eyes wander over her upper body, hands touching her abdominal muscles which were always a big turn on for her wife. _"You are just so beautiful_." Maura whispered taking her time to touch the soft olive skin.

"_You are the most gorgeous woman I ever laid eyes on." _Maura continued with a soft smile.

"_Uh, that's a bit cheesy now."_ Jane blushed with a grin.

"_Its only the truth. You know I can't lie."_ The blonde mumbled, making Jane hitch a breath by squeezing her nipples with her thumb and index finger. Jane felt the aching between her legs rise with every touch and moaned deeply, searching Maura's mouth for a passionate kiss.

Her hands reached out to free the blonde's upper body from her blouse and bra. The skirt was already pushed up so when she took a step back, she could let her hands wander over the inner thighs while her mouth first circled Maura's nipples before taking them into her mouth. _"Oh my god."_ Maura exclaimed, her voice husky and thick with lust while pushing her hips towards Janes hands.

"_Somebody is already very hot."_ Jane grinned when one of her fingers stroked over the soaked underwear, mesmerized by the fact that she was the reason for this. A whimper told Jane that Maura was ready for her.

She gently pushed the black silk slip aside to touch the wet folds underneath it. Taking her time, she started circling the clit, moving her fingers to taste Maura_. "Jane, you know that you're killing me, right?"_ the blonde managed to say.

"_Should I stop?"_ she teased an pulled away her tongue which she knew would drive Maura crazy. Satisfied with the effect she took the soft tissue back into her mouth eliciting another sound of her wife. It was a mixture between pleasure and sweet pain.

She was surprised when Maura came almost immediately when she did one deep push into her. She took her wife into a tight embrace, helping her relax by gently stroking over her back. When her breath had steadied and calmed down, Maura slid from the counter and opened Janes belt before helping her out of her trousers. Then she knelt down in front of her wife and straddled her long legs to gain access to her clit. Her tongue tasted Jane and made the brunette hold on to the counter so strongly that her knuckles became white. All the sucking, licking and touching made her knees almost buckle and her head whirl.

Jane tried to hold back the orgasm, but she failed quickly and when she let go stars started to dance in front her eyes and her head felt light.

When Maura stood up again, they fell into another embrace and kissed. Two shivering bodies melted into one while they tried to hold on to each other. They were so close that their hips and breasts were touching and when they looked down, they couldn't tell which body part belonged to whom.

Jane chuckled, showing her dimples and her eyes were sparkling. _"Wow!"_ she said, seeing her word reflected on the sweaty face of her lover. Sex between them was always great. But usually restricted to the bedroom and the late hours of the night, when Julia and Sophie were asleep. They had only been caught once by them in the last five years, which had been quite awkward, and Jane still blushed when recalling the incident.

Maura took it easier_. "Its natural."_ She had said and dismissed any uncomfortable feeling with a wave. It had turned out later that her assumption that the kids hadn't known what was going on was right later.

Tonight's love making felt different to Jane, although she couldn't put a name or a reason to why. Maybe it was the kitchen counter, which she eyed suspiciously to Maura's laughter_. "Maybe it's just different because we change. Our cells renew themselves regularly. So does our mind._" She offered an explanation as if reading Janes mind like an open book.

Jane didn't know, but she knew that she liked the soft caresses which were exchanged and the soft warm skins and the feeling when Maura took a deep breath and pushed her belly into hers. If she shivered it wasn't because it was cold. It was because she enjoyed this moment so much. And Maura's body was telling the same story.

"_I would love if we did this more often."_ She whispered, lifting Maura's chin with a finger to leave a soft kiss on the blondes' lips.

"_Uhm, I think I could live with this."_ Maura replied cheekily, kissing her back. Jane laughed as they walked towards the stairs to get a good shower.


	32. Chapter 32

Jane walked into the morgue to find Maura hunched over the dead body of an elder man. The fact that she had just caught the blonde talking to herself made her grin. The brunette decided to take some time to admire her wife in her black scrubs and sneakers, letting her eyes glide over the curves.

"_What are you doing?"_ she asked sheepishly, realizing how she sometimes still couldn't believe that this woman had married her. Maura jumped slightly at the sudden voice which intruded her peace. A bright blush crept up her cheeks and covered them in a deep red when she realized that Jane had witnessed her talking to herself.

"_What is this for a question?"_ she tried to deflect, but Jane also noticed some confusion in Maura as it was well obvious what she was doing. She chuckled softly and walked around the table to look at the body.

She glanced at Maura when she couldn't make out what had mesmerized her wife about this body to the point that she would hunch over it to take a closer look.

"_I've got a call from the school."_ She said with a small pout. The blonde's eyebrows shot up as a worried expression crossed her face.

"_Sophie vomited in the biology class and is with the school nurse now. I'm going to pick her up and bring her home."_

Another confused look crossed Maura's face. _"In biology?"_ she asked.

"_Yeah. I'm going to find out what happened and text you."_ Jane smiled as she left the morgue after Maura had thanked her. Cavanaugh had given her green light to stay at home with the girl for the rest of the day to take care of her.

R&I

Jane walked straight to the infirmary of the school where she found a very pale looking Sophie sitting on a chair. The nurse was busy, so she waited patiently, holding Sophies hand. _"Poor baby."_ She said, softly putting a strand of blonde hair where it belonged.

She stood and walked over when the nurse came into the room with a file.

"_Mrs. Rizzoli?"_ the woman asked. Jane noticed how piercing blue eyes glanced at her. "_You are er…"_

"_Her mother."_ The brunette finished the sentence. _"Or to be more precise one of her mothers."_ She smirked mischievously seeing how the nurse disapproved of that information. This happened sometimes when people found out, that she was part of a lesbian couple parenting a child. Being used to it, Jane simply shrugged it off.

"_Can you tell me what happened?"_ she asked the nurse.

"_Uhm, well, Mr. Perkins, her biology teacher showed some pictures. And then Sophie got sick. I don't think that she has the stomach flu."_ Jane didn't ask what kind of pictures as she assumed that the nurse wouldn't know. Besides, she could ask Julia.

She took Sophies hand, walking slowly towards the car. "_We are going to be home soon, honey. Don't worry. It's going to be better soon."_

There was a small nod in the backseat. _"kay."_

Upon coming home, Jane helped Sophie throw up once more. Rubbing the small back and holding her hair. Then she helped her get out of the dirty clothes and take a bath. The brunette used a washcloth to gently rub over the tiny body, before wrapping a still shivering Sophie into a huge towel and taking her to bed.

She laid down next to her and let Sophie crawl into her arms. Since the day Jane had saved her, she loved to be close to Jane when not feeling well or being scared. And Jane loved to have her close. _"Hey, would you like me to read you from one of your books?"_

Although being tired Sophie nodded, her little arms clinging to Janes body. _"All right."_ The brunette said, making sure to lift the covers so that the kid was warm. Then she grabbed a book from the nightstand and started to read what she knew was Sophies favorite part of the story.

Soon a small snore was to be heard. Jane decided to stay a little more, closing her eyes in the meantime to relax. She felt tired. The last case had been very complicating and had brought her some late nights at the precinct. But laying in bed next to Sophie brought her a peace she would never have imagined to ever feel in her life.

Having kids could be quite exhausting, but also rewarding on the other side. Maybe Maura was right and it would be an enrichment to have another baby. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea.

Soon her mind was busy going through the possibilities they had, if they really wished to have another one. Of course, getting pregnant was still possible. But then there was also the possibility to adopt. There were so many children in foster homes.

She sighed and checked on Sophie. When she was sure that the poor girl was fast asleep, she got up to prepare some dinner. Nina had picked up Julia from school and Maura would drive by their place to take her home.

The fact that Frankie and Nina had moved to New York still filled Jane with joy. She loved having a piece of her family around. It was practically of course. But most of all it warmed her heart to know that her brother was just a few steps down the block.

Usually they went to grab a drink when possible. Nina and Maura did the same. And sometimes it was all four of them and the kids making a picknick in the park or doing excursions.

Before Jane had gone to Quantico, she had realized how there were almost no pictures of her in any family album. This had changed. Maura and she each had a folder on their computer where they uploaded the pictures regularly. If there was a rainy day or they felt like it they would go through them, putting them into a joined folder to finally make a photobook.

Jane sat down onto the couch, while the lasagna was in the oven. It would be ready by the time Maura came home. One of the books lay open in her lap now and she smiled at Julias baby pictures. It hit her, that she was willing to do it and wondered if Maura was still into having another baby. She would probably find out soon as she was going to ask her wife after dinner, when they lay on the couch.

"_Honey, I'm home!"_ the blondes voice drifted through the house. Jane heard the clicking of the heels and her daughter coming closer. Then Maura benched down to plant a kiss on her cheek. _"Thanks for taking care of Sophie and dinner. This little monster" _she pointed at Julia who had hopped onto the couch next to Jane _"is very hungry. Although Nina assured me that she had lunch and later a banana in the afternoon. She is definitely coming after you."_ Maura smirked playfully.

Jane laughed and pulled Julia closer to tickle her. Then she watched how her daughter made her way down the hall to check on Sophie.

"_Well, we can't say the same for Sophie I guess."_ She teased.

"_What's that supposed to mean?"_ Maura asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"_Obviously, Mr. Perkins showed the class some pictures and that's what made Sophie uhm vomit. Ut before you ask, I have no idea what it was. I mean what can a biology teacher possible show some ten-years-old that make them puke? Maybe it's the stomach flu after all."_

Maura shook her head. _"I'm gonna check on her anyways and ask if she's hungry."_

"_Yeah. In case it's the stomach flu I made some soup so that she has something warm to fill her stomach."_

Maura looked truly touched. She cupped Janes face and gave her a soft kiss. _"Thank you. That's thoughtful of you. You have no idea how much I love you for being you."_

Jane smiled softly. "_Ah, its nothing. Really."_

"_I think it's the opposite of nothing, Jane."_ Maura replied, caressing Janes cheek before leaving the room too.


	33. Chapter 33

The whole family gathered around the table. Sophie felt much better after sleeping almost the entire day and tried a small piece of the lasagna.

"_Can we go and play?"_ Julia asked upon swallowing her last bite. Maura glanced at her watch, then at Jane and nodded. The couple chuckled as the girls dashed down the floor to disappear into Sophies room.

Jane took a sip from her orange juice and wiggled with her eyebrows towards Maura before they finished their dinner in a comfortable silence.

"_Remember the man I was looking at when you came into the morgue?"_ Maura asked when they did the dishes. Jane nodded and waited for the blonde to continue.

"_At first, everybody thought that he died of natural causes. He was already 85 after all. But it turned out that he was poisoned. I almost missed this. I just had a gut feeling so I took a closer look."_

"_I thought you don't listen to your intestines?"_ Jane asked surprised and teasing at the same time.

"_That's my point. You must have rubbed off on me." _Maura chuckled. "_I'm glad that I did listen to that feeling. I start to like it."_

Jane joined the chuckle, turning away from the sink to wrap her wet hands around the blonde who started to giggle_. "Your hands are wet, Jane."_ She said but didn't move away, which Jane interpreted as invitation to kiss her. _"Shame that the kids are still awake."_ She mumbled against Maura's mouth.

"_Good thing is that they are going to sleep soon."_ The blonde replied cheekily. But both knew that usually they wouldn't pick up this thread later. This evening was no exception. After putting the kids to bed they settled onto the couch. Jane watching a game while Maura reading a book.

"_Maur?"_ Jane finally asked after thinking the whole thing through again.

"_Yes, honey?"_ the blonde looked up from her journal.

"_You asked me a question a few weeks ago…"_ Jane started and watched the blonde searching her mind. Then, when the face lit up, she knew Maura had found what she was talking about. Brownie choose that moment to jump down from his scratch tree to hop into Janes lap. Her hands went to stroke his silky fur automatically.

Her hands were shaking from being a bit nervous and excited.

"_I have given it another thought today. If you still want to have another baby, I would be in."_

Maura's eyes widened in surprise. _"But what about we will be 65 when the child is 18?"_ her wife asked insecure, putting her journal onto the coffee table.

"_Weren't you the one who told me that 65 is the new 45?"_ the brunette chuckled softly.

Maura nodded. Still in disbelief. _"I would love to have another child with you, Jane."_ She whispered.

"_Then I see no reason why we shouldn't do it."_ Jane smiled. They moved into a hug and a long kiss. Jane sighed. Making Maura happy was one of the best feelings on earth. After Maura had recovered from the surprise she started to talk about their possibilities. Both agreed to take a test first, if they were still good for carrying a child. If they weren't, they only had the option of fostering or adopting left. But if they were, they had to decide who was going to carry the child.

R&I

Jane hated hospitals, doctors and everything which came with them. She nervously glanced at the nurse who was preparing a needle for the blood test. Whenever she was nervous, she used to be sarcastic and joked. Today was no exception.

Maura raised an eyebrow at her antics. The nurse didn't find her comments about old ladies becoming mothers funny. She didn't find any comments of Jane funny at all. The blonde chuckled silently when following the scene. The brunette whined like one of the girls, when the needle got pushed into her and demanded a frozen plaster.

"_As you were very brave today, I'll buy you some ice cream."_ Maura joked when walking out of the hospital towards their car.

Jane who was still whining immediately lit up. _"Uhh, okay. But we must be back at the precinct in after this. Your old mans case causes many problems. We weren't even able to determine a motive yet."_

The blonde nodded and drove them to their favorite ice cream dealer close to the precinct. It was only 10 am. They would probably both spent lunch time at their desks. Maura down in the basement, Jane at the 5th story of the building. Therefore, they tried to make the best of their time off now.

They slowly walked through the park holding hands. Jane could feel that Maura was a bit nervous about the results.

"_Its going to be fine."_ She said and gave her wife a reassuring smile while squeezing her hands. Maura relaxed. If life had taught her something, then in was that Jan was usually right.

"_No matter what the tests say, we are going to have our baby."_ She added reassuringly, stepping out of the way to let an old couple pass. Her eyes followed them for a while in silence as they walked down the path holding hands too. This was how she pictured herself and Maura when they were old and a happy smile tugged at her lips at this imagination.

Maura wrapped her arms around her slim waist from behind, also following the couple. _"I always thought I would end up alone."_ She said, kind of sadly. _"But then you crashed into my life."_ Now a grin was spreading on both faces.

They took up their walk to have their ice cream, still grinning happily. When Janes phone rang, she first ignored it. But when it rang a second time, she flipped it out of the holder at her belt and picked up.

It was Frankie who told her that they needed her at the precinct. Reluctant she told Maura and they walked back to the car. _"I'll buy you ice cream another day."_ The blonde stated once they were back in the car_. "I promise."_ Her smile was warm, and Jane fell into her eyes, as she did often since they had become a couple.

R&I

"_So, how did the doctor's appointment go?_" he asked, looking mischievously at the plaster on her arm. They hadn't told him or Nina that they were trying to have another baby. Jane had just mentioned that she would be late because she had an appointment to check something.

He laughed when she started to whine again. Both were standing alone in the bullpen. It was a busy day for the homicide division. There were always plenty of murders to investigate in NY. And most of the detectives seemed to be at crime scenes right now.

"_Why did you call me in?"_ she quietly asked, changing the subject.

"_The old man's case."_ He whispered. This is what they called it. She nodded, waiting for him to elaborate. _"Nina found something."_

Instead of sitting down to her desk they walked to her sister in law, whose fingers were literally flying over the keyboard in front of her. Frankie closed the door behind them as Jane greeted her.

Nina smiled at her, becoming serious when opening some files on the screen. At first, Jane was clueless. But the more she read, the more she understood what the secrecy was all about. the old man appeared to be Casey's father. And while so far, everybody had thought that he was just a nice man the pity disappeared quickly when reading what he had done.

Janes mind was racing while her eyes flew over his record line by line. She had gone to school with Casey. They had even been romantically involved at one point, but she had never met his father. Nor had Casey ever spoken about him.

"_How did you find out?"_ she asked, nibbling at her thumb.

"_At first I tried to find some relatives to notify. But the search was unsuccessful. This made me wonder… therefore I asked some lab techs to take some fingerprints. But there were none. He must have used acid or something to make them go away. Therefore, I decided to run his DNA through the data basis. First the civil one, then the convicts and finally the military. And boom! There it was. This is how I learned that he was the father of Casey Jones."_

Maura was not the only person she knew now whose father was or had been a gangster boss Jane thought. _"We have to talk to Casey. Tell him that his father is with us."_ A knot started to form in her intestines as she didn't like the idea of facing her former boyfriend. Especially not when recalling how things had gotten out of hand when he had one day appeared at her doorstep in NY, claiming that he wanted to have her back. He had almost raped her, but she had been able to grab her gun and make him leave. _Son of a bitch_ she muttered under her breath.

"_Can you do that Frankie?"_ she asked. Her brother who knew about the story nodded." _I'll go with Randy."_ Randy was his partner and they got along very well. Jane was just relieved that she wouldn't have to face Casey and nodded.

"_They might pull you from the case if they find out that he is your ex-boyfriend."_ He stated the obvious, knowing that Jane was intrigued by the story and wouldn't want that to happen.

"_We'll see."_ She mumbled after clicking her tongue.

The drive down to the morgue was a good opportunity to calm down. Maura was sitting at the desk in her office and looked surprise when Jane walked into the room, closing the door behind her.

"_So bad huh?"_ the blonde asked when seeing Janes face, walking around her desk to sit with Jane on the couch. "_Tell me what happened."_ She asked and took the brunettes hands into hers.

"_The old man from yesterday? It is Casey's father."_ She whispered. "_He was a mob boss."_

The face across from her got a bit paler and Jane could see memories popping up in Maura's mind. Then she saw an raised eyebrow_. "Sorry, I shouldn't have…"_ she said, her voice trailing off. "_I didn't want to remind you off…"_

"_Its okay, honey."_ Maura's voice was calm, her thumb started to caress one of the scars Hoyt had left behind what appeared to be so long ago that it was in another life time. Jane knew that Maura was not fond of Casey. She had once said so when they had talked about old times. The blonde had never liked how this man had treated her. Jane recalled her using the words: _he played you like a doll. One moment he was here, the next moment he was gone. And he always expected you to fulfill his needs when he was here._

It had taken her a long time and some therapy sessions to come clean with the fact that Maura was right. Or better said to accept that he was not the good man she had always believed him to be. Today Jane felt ashamed for making up excuses for Casey's behavior.

"_I told Frankie to talk to him. I don't want to see him."_ she said and relieve crossed Maura's face.

There was only the ticking sound of the clock on the wall for a while. Maura trying to give Jane comfort and peace to process.

"_I need to go back to my desk._" Jane said after a few minutes, standing up with a sigh. _"Thanks for being here for me." _

Maura nodded, pulling her wife into a hug. "_Always, Jane. Call me if you need me."_ The soft smell of lavender still tickled her nose after Jane had left.


	34. Chapter 34

Jan glanced at the small group of people who had gathered in the bullpen. On thought had appeared to her last night and she found it very unsettling. What if Casey had poisoned his father. She could see no motive, but she was far beyond the phase where she believed that her ex-boyfriend was a good man. She thought it totally possible that he could kill someone.

More unsettling was the thought that they hadn't been able to locate him, despite Nina's skills and everybody's efforts the previous day. They anxiously waited for a call from the military, which would either confirm Casey's deployment or tell them if he was currently not under their service.

The brunette drummed with her fingers onto the table as she listened to Frankie talk about the mob, the man and his death. Maura had joined them to deliver medical background on the poisoning. Obviously, he was poisoned with some seldom venomous plant from Africa.

"_Africa is not Afghanistan."_ Jane stated the obvious. Casey had always been deployed to Afghanistan and he had never acquired a visa for Africa.

"_He could have gotten it from other sources, you know?"_ Frankie said with a stern look on his face.

"_Yeah, but if we are realistic, we have to admit that he must have had many enemies, with his uhm business."_

"_Stop defending this piece of shit!_" Frankie suddenly said fiercely, and the room went silent. Jane stood; her face angry.

"_Believe me, I would love to see him behind bars, but we still need to keep an open mind! He probably had a lot of enemies. Even at his age. And we need to find out as much as possible about this story. For example, who his successor is etc. We should focus on that."_ Despite having talked in a calm voice, there was some anger transpiring through her gestures and glances.

R&I

"_You're becoming really good at that."_ Maura said as they walked into her office. _"I mean separating your personal feelings and preferences from the possibilities."_

Jane waved the compliment away, still mad about what had happened. She knew how it must have looked to Frankie. But hell, she had really no intention whatsoever to defend this man who had done her wrong. Still she couldn't just lock him up because of that.

"_When will we get the results of our blood tests?"_ she asked to deflect. She needed a break from all the Casey talk.

"_By the end of the week."_ Maura said and studied Jane.

Three more days then, Jane calculated and nodded in satisfaction. So, they would know by the weekend.

"_Jane?"_ the blonde sounded worried.

"_I'm okay. I just need to process. I'm heading back to my desk."_ The brunette said and turned around to leave the room.

Once the doors of the elevator had closed, she threw her badge against the wall. _"Damn!"_ she exclaimed.

Her phone started ringing on the belt and she picked up without looking to the screen who it was.

Casey's voice filled her ear. It was calm in a creepy way and it took Jane some time to realize that he now reminded her of Hoyt.

"_Have you missed me, Jane?" _

"_What do you want Casey?"_ she asked, sounding defeated. She quickly typed a message to Frankie to trace the call, hoping that he would read it right away.

"_I want my family back. You, Jane, are my family. Don't you think that its time that you quit your ridiculous job as a detective and join the other team? I'm sure we would appreciate your skills more than the city of NY."_

Jane would have loved to scream a loud fuck you, but now she was walking into the bullpen, seeing Frankie giving her a thumb up sign, which meant they were trying to locate Casey. She rolled her eyes and bit back her anger and replied: "_I honestly don't know Casey. The city pays well and I don't have to worry about my retirement." _

"_Oh, come on Jane. You were different in school. Remember how we climbed the fence to the public pool to have a party there in the middle of the night?"_

"_Well, I honestly see a difference between climbing a fence as a teenager and killing people as an adult. Don't you think this is kind of a strange thing?"_

Casey laughed out loud_. "I don't see a difference. It's a seed growing in us, you know, the darkness is inside of you. Just admit it to yourself Jane. Either you have it in you or you don't. And you Jane have it in you."_

Now it was Jane who almost laughed, wondering if Casey was using any drugs. She still couldn't believe that he had been bad from the start. Maybe the war had done something to his mind, she thought.

She felt kind of shocked when he suddenly hung up. No more words, no more talking. This left a very bad feeling deep inside of her.

"_What?"_ she snapped, realizing that Frankie had just said something.

"_2:35 mins, that wasn't enough. Sorry. Are you okay?" _

Jane would have wanted to smash more things like her badge in the elevator before, but just nodded. Frankie gave her a short squeeze to the shoulder and returned to his desk.

"_We're going to get him."_ Randy mumbled with a reassuring smile at her, following her brother.

"_You can count on that. Son of a bitch!"_ she said, talking more to herself than to someone else.

"_I would say language Jane. But I guess you got a good reason."_ Maura said and dropped a file onto her desk. Jane had been too angry to notice the clack clack of Maura's heels. She locked eyes with her. _"Here you have everything we found out at the morgue and the lab."_ She said, sitting down. For the next half hour, the blonde went through the findings with her. Unfortunately, there was nothing in them which could help them to move closer to solving the case.

Jane thanked Maura even though, and the blonde rested her hand on her shoulder briefly, before going back to the morgue.

R&I

Jane relaxed once she was home and the normality of her family life made her feel better instantly. Tonight, Maura had cooked some fish with vegetables and potatoes. Jane ate, observing the girls fight over who got to choose the TV program.

"_If you don't stop fighting now, there will be no watching TV later!"_ Maura fiercely interrupted he ten-year-old's war. This definitely got her the girls attention. _"Oh, no…"_ Julia whined. "_You can't do this."_

"_I will and I can."_ Maura said and gave them a stern look. Jane chuckled silently as she put her last bit of food into her mouth. After a training of five years, Maura had at least learned how to put her foot down against the little monsters.

Jane still had her problems with it though. The puppy eyes always made her weak. So, usually if the girls wanted something, she sent them to Maura and Maura handled it. Otherwise they would already have at least 7 dogs, 9 cats, a cow, a goat, an elephant, a pony and much more.

She glanced at the two who were just settling in front of the screen, Julia sliding in a DVD without any further discussion.

"_Well done, Maur."_ Jane smiled and squeezed her wife's hand.

The blonde chuckled. "_When they get older, I make them do the dishes after dinner. But for now, we have to do it, I'm sorry."_

"_Uhm"_ Jane grunted but got up anyways to do her chores.


	35. Chapter 35

"_So, what was the picture that caused Sophie to puke?"_ Maura asked upon settling in on the couch for their evening. Jane scratched her head. She had almost forgotten to tell after all the excitement over Casey lately.

"_It was a close-up picture from a snail."_ She laughed when Maura looked puzzled.

"_What? Really?"_ the blonde asked in disbelief.

"_Yeah. I asked them when they were playing the other night."_ She felt how Maura was speechless and rubbed her knee. Its okay. _"She's going to be fine. As long its only snails…" _the brunette told Maura who seemed in disbelief that her child could not be good at science.

Today was movie night and it was Janes turn to pick, so soon Maura had to watch 60Seconds – an action movie she decided she didn't like. But she liked Jane, so it was fine. Her mind kept wandering off to the case and the blonde asked herself what had gone so terribly wrong with Casey. It wasn't that she ever liked him. She had told Jane, that she particularly disliked how he had treated her, which was true. But of course, she felt kind of jealous. It didn't make sense to her as Jane was with her and not with him, but still. To her feelings like jealousy were very unsettling.

And the fact that she had no control over them drove her crazy. Maura kept shooting secret glances towards Jane who appeared to be totally emerged in the world of car-theft. The blonde studied her features carefully. This woman was just gorgeous, especially when being relaxed like now.

Jane always said that Maura should carry the child, if her body allowed. But Maura thought that Jane should. With her good looks and her brilliant mind, it was out of question to the blonde that these genes should be passed on to a future generation. Of course, Jane could be stubborn, and her language was sometimes not quite fine, but it wasn't bad, because it was coupled with a good sense of humor and never exceeded any boundaries. Moreover, Maura loved Janes temper. Despite Jane assuring her that she was interesting Maura felt that she bored people.

She snapped back to reality when Jane gave a loud snort and paused the movie. _"Do you want to watch something else or are you fine watching me the whole evening?"_ the brunette asked softly.

Maura swallowed. _"No, I think I'm fine with… uhm…"_ Jane chuckled.

"_Why, do I make you nervous?"_ Maura teased.

"_Slightly, to be honest."_ Jane replied, bending over to kiss Maura onto the forehead. „_For all I know you could just try to come up with a plan how to murder me without anyone finding out."_

"_I would never do that, Jane."_ Maura replied indignant. _"Maybe I'm just thinking what a wonderful woman you are and that you should carry our child."_

" _I don't think so. There are already enough Rizzolis on this planet. I would love to see another Isles."_

She opened her arms so that Maura could snuggle up close to her. Both gave a deep sigh as this was very comforting_. "The world can never have enough Rizzoli's."_ Maura stated while wrapping her arms around Jane. They both chuckled.

"_Well, we'll see what the test says."_ Jane said caressing the blondes back. It was all depending on the fact if one of them was in the medical condition to carry another child. The brunette listened to Maura citing various studies on the topic, knowing that this was the blondes way to cope with her feelings like insecurity.

They froze when they heard a strange noise. Jane pointed her finger to her mouth to tell Maura not to speak and both strained their ears and listened into the house. It was probably nothing, and most of all it was probably due to their jobs which made them paranoid sometimes, but whenever there was a strange noise their heartbeats seemed to stop.

If life had taught them one thing it was that the evil sometimes came to your home. The place you should feel the safest at. Maura had once told Jane that according to a study you never ever feel safe at your home again, once some somebody had intruded. Or burnt it down, Jane added in her mind. They had lived through some of the worst things that could happen to you.

And now with Casey, they were even more on guard. So much to the point, that Jane had made sure to have access to her gun anytime. It had been quite a difficult task to find the right spot, where she could grab the gun at any time, without putting the girls into danger. This spot was on her body.

Janes mind was still busy thinking about whether to check the house or just wait, when the noise appeared again. It sounded like someone scratching to a window. The brunette shot a quick look to the scratch tree to find Brownie lying on it with wide and surveilling eyes.

"_Stay behind me."_ Jane whispered and stood. She believed that the noise had come from the kitchen and when she pointed towards it, Maura nodded.

She pulled her gun from the waistband of her jeans from behind her back and slowly walked towards the room. Both immediately noticed how one of the windows was slowly moving in the current of the wind.

Goosebumps covered the brunette's body as she approached the window with the gun in front of her face. She was ready to shoot_. "There!"_ Maura whispered pointing to a stone with a paper attached to it. It lay on the counter under the window.

When they checked the paper after making sure that no one was around, they just found a smiley drawn on it. Julia and Sophie wandered into the room and scared them when they started talking as they hadn't heard them coming. _"Ma, there was a man in front of my window._ " Julia said, terrified. Then her eyes went to the smiley. _"Why did you take my drawing?"_ she asked astonished. Jane froze when she glanced at the paper in Maura's hand.

"_There was a man in front of your window?"_ she asked, trying not to sound too worried.

"_Yes, he has been here a few times."_ Sophie now spoke up. A loud thud made them all turn to Maura. Jane saw that the blonde had dropped the stone.

R&I

It was three hours later when Jane lay in bed, her arms crossed behind her head on the pillow. Her mind was racing. There was no question of sleeping tonight. Maura also tossed and turned next to her.

"_I can't sleep!"_ the blonde finally said, reaching for her nightgown as she got off the bed. _"I'm going to make some tea. Do you want some too?" _

"_Yes. Please."_ Jane followed her in her sweatpants and worn BPD t-shirt. A remainder of a long-passed time. The brunette checked for the girls when passing their room. Even after five years they were still sharing it. They had ended up putting both beds into one room, making the other a room to play.

She glanced at the window, realizing that there was a streetlamp casting some light so that it was well possible to see if someone was standing in front of the window. Jane shuddered. She had wanted the girls to sleep in their bed tonight, but obviously she had done a good job hiding her fear and Maura had said, that they would be fine. They would hear any noise and could intervene at any time. It was best to keep the girls calm. Jane hoped that this was over soon, and they could move on with their lives.

"_God, these are the things which make me hate my job._" She said once sitting at the counter and rubbing her temple.

"_Jane, Casey could have come after you anyways. I don't think that your job is a disadvantage in this situation. In the contrary. It gives you the knowledge and possibility to defend our family."_ Maura said, as she placed a cup of tea in front of her.

As much as Maura hated the gun sometimes, in moments like these she was happy to see it sitting close to Jane on the counter. It was a sad picture though. People shouldn't be up in the middle of the night out of worry. And they shouldn't have a gun close to them in their own home.

Jane had talked to Frankie, who, of course, had immediately offered to come and protect them. But Jane had declined the offer. He should be at home with his own family.


	36. Chapter 36

„_Can i help you?"_ Jane growled making her way out of the bushes.

Casey looked absolutely shocked, when he saw his ex-girlfriend pointing a gun at him. But then he seemed to recover quickly, his face showing a smirk.

"_Jane…"_ he started with a mischievous grin_. "This is no way to greet your future husband, don't you think so?"_

The brunette asked herself if this man was serious. Maybe he was on drugs? Maybe Afghanistan had been too much for his brain. She kept her cool, despite her irritation.

"_Well, I don't know if you have noticed, but I'm married to Maura. There's nothing between you and me anymore, Casey."_

It was creepy how he still smiled. Then he clicked his tongue. "_Don't fool yourself, Jane…_" he silently said, spreading his arms.

"_Why did you kill your father?"_ Jane asked, noticing that Casey was wearing his uniform.

"_That's none of your business."_ He replied. Despite his cool face, Jane could see that he was a bit nervous. His hands were rubbing on the side of his trousers. When they had been sleepless the other night, Maura and she had finally come to discuss him over their cup of tea.

"_I think that he somehow derailed. Something made him snap. He shows signs of a true psychopath, but I don't think that he has the cleverness of a Hoyt."_ Maura had stated after a while. Jane who knew that her wife was good at profiling believed her. She listened carefully as Maura shared more of her thoughts about him. This had finally led to the plan to await his visit in their garden. Behind the bushes of their girls window to be precise.

The brunette kept her poker face, pointing to the fact, that if she was to marry him, it was her business. Didn't partner share anything? How could she trust him?

The perspective of her considering a marriage to him seemed realistic and apparently, he believed her. He immediately bought it. Maura had been right, Jane thought. He wasn't clever like Hoyt. Hoyt would never believed her in a thousand years if she lied to him.

She glanced at the man standing in her garden and watched him think. _"Well, dad was to old to be the boss anymore. I told him to leave his position to me. Do you know what his reaction was?"_

Jane shrugged, waiting.

"_He laughed at me. Can you believe it? He laughed at me and said, that I was crazy. I would never be able to fill his shoes. I would suck."_

"_That wasn't fair. It was mean in fact."_ Jane played along, hoping that this would make him open more.

"_Right! See, I knew it. You are brilliant Jane. Ad you understand me. That's why I want you to be my wife."_

"_How did you do it?"_ the brunette asked. Casey's need for absolution drove him to tell her a bit more.

"_I went to this voodoo shop in south Boston and asked for a poison which is hard to detect. But I should have known that Maura and you find out everything."_ He pouted like a little child now.

"_Well you know that this is or job, right?"_ Jane quietly asked.

"_The old man deserved it. He killed so many people with his guns, dirty businesses and drugs. I don't get why you might think that I did something wrong."_

"_Casey, you would have continued his business. You would have killed people too This is what's wrong. Besides, he still would have had the right to a fair trial. You see, this is why I can't marry you – I mean apart from the fact that I'm gay. You lie to yourself. You always have. You always believed that you were in love with me, but in reality, I was just a pass time for you, because you are not able to be by yourself. You always need someone or something to entertain you."_

Jane could see how Casey was pissed at her now. He took a few steps towards her, pointing with his finger to her chest.

"_You are just like him. He said the same thing. But you are wrong! You are both wrong!"_ he was almost yelling at her now. _"You made a mistake, Jane. You shouldn't have come alone. I will kill you here and now."_

"_Who said that I came alone?"_ Jane quietly asked, feeling surprisingly calm. He smirked. _"Because you are no team player. I know you well enough. You always did your thing, no matter if it could kill you and leave your family behind, grieving."_

"_Maybe I learned some lessons."_ Jane muttered.

Casey laughed madly until he felt someone touch his shoulder. "_Casey Jones, you are under arrest for the murder of your father Dewy Jones."_ Frankie had the frozen man handcuffed in no time, reading him his rights. Then he called for the officers who had waited in an unmarked car a few blocks away.

Jane watched in silence as two officers escorted Casey, whose head was hanging, to the car. Maura silently wrapped her arms around her from behind, resting her head on Janes shoulder. _"I'm sorry."_ she whispered and Jane tilted her head, sighing. _"You don't have to be, Maur. He shouldn't have done this."_

"_That's not what I meant, Jane." _The blonde softly said_. "I'm sorry for the things he said about you because they are not true. ." _

This reminded Jane of the wire she was still wearing. She pulled it out and threw it on a nearby counter.

"_Its not true you know. You have changed. You have learned a lot of things. You're a good person and I love you so much for what you did for us repeatedly."_

Despite of knowing that Casey wasn't right it felt good to hear it from another person. She leaned her upper body to press it against Maura's front. Her hands reaching for the arms which held her tight and safe. This made her calm down and feel save. _"It's a giving and taking I think."_ She mumbled.

They kept standing there, even if the police car had left long ago. It had started to rain. _"Sometimes I just want to pack our bags and go to a place where no one knows us. No more Hoyts or Caseys chasing us. Just you and me and the kids."_

Maura gave a soft chuckle_. "Wouldn't you get bored without your job?"_

Jane snorted. Maura was probably right. _"Okay. But with the next person menacing our lives we're gone."_ they chuckled together.

"_There's something I need to tell you."_ Jane suddenly spoke up with a silent voice. Her body was tense and her heart beating fast as she was about to tell Maura about a secret that she had hidden even from Frankie.

Maura felt the change in her wife and braced herself for what was possibly about to come.

"_I never told anyone. Not even Frankie."_ The brunette whispered, scared.

"_Just spit it out."_ Maura said, trying to sound calm, but her trembling voice betrayed her. She was scared too now.

Jane sighed and turned to face Maura_. "The story I told you about my rape was true. But I never told anyone that it was Casey who raped me back then."_ She waited a moment and saw how Maura realized what this meant.

"_Julia is his daughter?"_ she whispered in disbelief and Jane hung her head_. "Yes."_ Was all she said.

"_Are you mad at me now?"_ Jane quietly asked a very disturbed Maura.

"_What? No!"_ the blonde lifted Janes chin so that she could look into the pained chocolate eyes. "_Why should I be mad`?"_

"_I don't know. Maybe you would have liked to know before signing the adoption papers_…" the deep voice trailed off.

"_Stop being ridiculous, Jane."_ Maura softly scolded. _"To me she is your daughter. She came out of you. You raised her. I love her. And even if I had known I would have adopted her."_ Jane felt thumbs wiping away the tears which came falling from her eyes.

Her eyes were burning from crying and a relieve suddenly rushed over her. Relief because Maura accepted it so easily, but also because the secret had weighed her down for such a long time. Now she wondered why she had never told anyone before.

It hurt and Jane had no words to describe the pain in her soul.

"_Come here, honey."_ She heard Maura say, feeling the arms wrapping around her once more. She let Maura rock her softly and sighed. _"I love you so much, Maur." _

"_I feel so sorry for at you had to go through. I love you too Jane."_

"_Well, I think we should go to bed. Its already late and tomorrow will be the sports day at school. God knows what crazy things we will have to do."_ Maura spoke after a while and rolled her eyes.

"_Uh, I always loved these days."_ Jane felt thankful for how the blonde made hem go back to their daily life.

"_I can imagine that. You are a very competitive person. I bet you always won."_

Jane cringed. "_Nope, never. Dad was not really into it and ma… Well you know ma…"_

The blonde laughed and nudged Jane to her side. "_Well, that's your chance then tomorrow. You can easily win every competition with Julia."_

The brunette's eyes gleamed at the perspective. "_Yeah. Maybe you're right."_ She let another deep sigh escape her mouth, before they made their way to the master bedroom.


	37. Chapter 37

The SUV navigated easily into the parking lot close to the sports field. After a good breakfast, the mothers and daughters had dressed up in their team's wear. For Maura and Sophie, it meant a pink t-shirt and for Jane and Julia a light blue one. All four of them wore black shorts and sports shoes.

The ride had been rather silent and only the girls chatted excited in the backseat. The events of the previous day and the confession were clouding Janes and Maura's minds. Moreover, they hadn't slept too well or long this night.

Julia and Sophie immediately slipped out of the car upon arriving at the school. They ran to greet some friends. Matteo and their neighbors were also already there. Jane glanced at the grey sky and silently prayed that the rain would wait until tonight.

As she felt Maura's eyes on her, she turned and gave her wife an exhausted nod. She had a decision to take. And this had added to her sleepless night_. "You should tell Cavanaugh about the fact that Casey raped you."_ Maura had said and Jane knew that she was right. But she also knew that this meant that she would have go onto the witness stand and tell strangers about such personal things. She was not keen on it to be honest.

She watched with mixed feelings how Frankie pulled into the parking lot next to her SUV. _"Maur, could you walk with Nina and the kids to the field while I have a little chat with Frankie?"_ she asked her wife silently. Maura nodded as she understood what Jane was planning. _"I know its hard, Jane. But I'm sure it would help if you told him. It still doesn't mean that you have to go public with it."_

"_If Frankie knows.."_ she started but stopped as the other family climbed out of their car. She watched Maura and Nina walk away with four excited kids. Frankie was leaning against his car, arms crossed and one raised eyebrow in anticipation about what Jane was about to say.

Jane fidgeted with her hands and rubbed the marks on it. "_There is something I have to tell you."_ She said before she could change her mind on this. _"Casey is Julia's father."_ She simply said. Frankie suddenly jumped back on his feet, looking angry.

"_I'm going to kill him!"_ he yelled in his anger. _"I'm going to strangle him with my bare hands, I swear!"_

Jane noticed how other parents paused to look at them.

He stopped when noticing her sad look. _"I'm sorry Jane."_ He stepped forward to embrace her asking her how she felt. She thought for a moment_. "Torn, I guess. I'm angry on one side, but I'm also glad to have Julia. I just wish that they lock him up for good. I never want to see or hear anything form him anymore. I want this to be over."_ She confessed.

Frankie just held her tight, not knowing what to say. He knew how making this public would devastate Jane. On the other hand, this information could add years to Casey's time in jail. But he knew that most of all she hesitated because she wanted to protect Julia.

He rolled his eyes, but as her head rested on his shoulder, she couldn't see it. _"Just take your time for this decision."_ He mumbled and let go of her, when the principals voice announced that the games would begin soon.

R&I

The younger kids and their parents were on the other side of the sports field. Frankie and Nina disappeared out of sight with their kids and left Jane, Maura and the girls alone.

"_Are you okay?"_ Maura asked, while the girls were busy talking to some schoolmates. Jane nodded in yes. They would talk later anyways. Her focus was now on making this the most fun day for Julia possible even though she felt tired and bad.

Jane and Julia were to start with the sack race while Maura and Sophie had to fetch apples out of a bucket of water. _"Ma, you have to focus. Otherwise we are never going to win."_ Her daughter said fiercely. "_All right, honey. I'm sorry."_ Jane apologized, doing how she was told.

Fortunately, the hole thing became more and more fund with each game. And Jane was finally able to shed her dark thoughts and focus on Julia, who was standing in front of her, pulling her hair into a new ponytail while chatting excitedly.

She noticed Maura and Sophie talking close to the benches. They were at the third place, while Julia and Jane were second. There was only one more game and her daughter already talked about were she would put the trophy, obviously sure that they would win.

The girl kept talking about the strategy they should use, and Jane nodded. They could win this, she thought to herself and rubbed her hands on their way over to the buckets.

R&I

It was already past six pm when they finally pulled into the driveway of their house. Jane noticed how the neighbors cars was already there and she remembered that she hadn't seen them at the picknick after the games anymore.

Julia proudly carried her trophy inside the house, followed by Sophie who had reached the second place right behind her sibling. Both looked mighty happy and had red cheeks from playing and running.

They kept chatting all the way down the hall. Jane softly laughed while undoing her shoelaces. When she kissed Maura, the smell of fresh air and barbeque tackled her nose. _"You did great today."_ She smiled at her wife. _"Thank you. It was easy with Sophie. Congratulations on your first victory though." _

"_It was all Julia who made us win. Our kids are really great!"_ Jane stated as she pulled the t-shirt over her head. Now she was standing in the middle of their bedroom when Sophie came in. "_Can you read us from the new Harry Potter book?_" she asked.

Jane agreed, although feeling tired_. "But first you take a bath, okay?"_ When Sophie tried to make her puppy eyes, Jane lifted one finger. _"No whining. First a bath, then some reading."_

She suddenly felt two pairs of hazel eyes glancing at her. Maura's were proud, Sophies were accompanied by a pout.

"_You did it."_ Maura chuckled and high fived Jane before walking humming towards the girl's room. _"I did it. I said no!"_ Jane was stunned as she walked into their own bathroom. She enjoyed her shower, using her favorite shower gel which smelled like lavender.

After throwing on some boxers and a tank top she prepared Julius and Sophies room. So, when they hurried inside, the light was dimmed, and the book was ready. Maura joined them after her own shower and chose to lay down with the rest of the family into Sophies bed.

Jane was thankful that Maura didn't talk about Casey or any dark topic anymore this evening. The fluff of two girls sleeping in her arms was just what she needed. It made her think about the results of the test again. They would learn about them the next day. Maura smiled at her softly from the other side of Sophie who was lying in between them.

The brunette smiled back and mouthed _a I love you_ which was repeated from the other side. They untangled themselves from all the tiny limbs after making sure that their little monsters were fast asleep. It was already late and none of them were feeling for a movie, so they went straight to bed.

Both sighed as they had spooned up and were laying in a comfortable position. Jane was a usual the one who wrapped her arms around Maura from behind. And she felt mesmerized as usual of how well their bodies fit together.


	38. Chapter 38

The next morning greeted the family with bright sunshine and the birds were singing cheerful in the garden. Maura found Jane sitting on the deck, reading the paper. Her cup of coffee was almost empty.

"_Good morning, honey."_ Maura greeted her wife with a kiss to the cheek, settling into her chair. Julia and Sophie were hovering around the apple tree.

"_Good morning to you too."_ Jane smiled at Maura, finding her wife adorable with the disheveled hair and the slight imprint on her cheek, left by the cushion. She noticed the worried expression on her Maura's face_. "I know that they are kids, and that kids are supposed to climb trees and do other dangerous stuff. But I'm still anxious."_ The blonde mumbled after taking a sip from her own coffee.

"_They are going to be fine. Besides, there is a doctor in the house if needed."_ She joked half-heartedly, folding the paper and putting it onto the table while watching the kids circle around the tree.

So far, their attempts to climb the tree had been fruitless because the closest branch was to high above the ground for them to reach it. But one day they would be big enough. Jane eyed the tree closely. It looked old, but the branches seemed to be strong.

"_Are you nervous?"_ Maura's whisper snapped her back to the topic she had tried not to think about. The results of the tests were due today. The brunette nodded after a short sigh. Her eyes searching Maura's. She found her own feelings and fears mirrored in the hazel eyes.

What if their bodies weren't ready to have another child anymore? It wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would still be a deception.

"_Its going to be fine."_ Jane sounded surer than she felt. Only two more hours to the doctor's appointment she thought as she rose from her chair to start the preparation for breakfast. Maura silently followed her into the kitchen.

"_You know, if we can't have another baby…."_ Maura's voice trailed off. Jane who was just making fresh orange juice turned to her with a questioning look. _"Well, it will be fine too. We already are a great family."_ The blonde continued biting her lips. The brunette sighed and quickly closed the distance between them with a few steps. Her arms wrapped around Maura, who immediately hugged her back.

Jane could feel her wife's doubts which sprung off the fear of a negative response today. Their heartbeats were fast as they lingered in their position until Julia and Sophie came into the kitchen.

"_Oh, get a room!_" Sophie smirked. Maura and Jane laughed lightly. They had an idea where their 10-year-old daughter could have learned such a thing. Julia wrinkled her nose smartly. _"Frankie_." Jane whispered and Maura nodded.

"_Honey. We don't need a room. We just hug."_ Jane smiled and ordered the girls to go and wash their hands before setting the table. She heard Maura chuckle as they watched both walk down the hallway in dismay.

"_Uh, I'm getting really good at it, right?"_ Jane asked, feeling Maura bump her shoulder against hers.

"_Yes, you do indeed."_ The blonde replied.

"_So, what would you need a room for if it's not for hugging?"_ Sophie asked smartly during breakfast.

Jane almost chocked on her breakfast roll. In the corner of her eyes she could see Maura blush. "_Do you want to answer the question?"_ she teased her and earned a nudge to her side.

"_I think you have a better explanation._" The blonde stated and made Jane cringe.

Jane turned to face the girls who were following their exchange with interest, sensing that there was a secret.

"_Uhhm, there are many things you can do in a room. I mean you are in your room a lot, right?"_

Julia nodded. "_We sleep, play and sometimes eat in our room." _

"_You are not supposed to eat in your room._" Maura instantly said shooting them a stern look. Like that the topic was off the table.

R&I

"_So, how do you want to do it?_ The good old-fashioned way with a turkey baster?" Jane asked lighthearted as they left the parking lot of the clinic. Maura laughed and slapped her arm. "Jane…!"

"_What? I need to know."_ The brunette grinned.

"_First we have to find a sperm donor."_ Maura tilted her head, still chuckling.

"_So, we are really going to this, right?"_ Jane asked, feeling somehow happy about the news that they had a good chance to have another baby. All her sorrows about the topic had been blown away over the past weeks. And the joy that the test had shown that Jane was still able to carry a child had managed to push all thoughts of Casey to the back of her mind.

As she stopped at a red light she turned to glance at her wife, who had the widest grin on her face. She too was full of happiness. Jane couldn't help but kiss her when seeing the gleam in Mauras eyes. The kiss deepened fast and they only realized that the light had turned green when the driver behind them honked his horn.

Jane rolled her eyes as she shifted into the first gear to leave the crossing, cursing the driver who had interrupted their sweet kiss.

The blonde squeezed her thigh and left her hand there for the rest of the drive. Silence spread as both were following their own thoughts. Janes mind was busy on the topic of the sperm donor. They had talked about it before and Maura had mentioned the sperm bank. Jane had thrown in that she preferred someone they knew rather than some unknown person. _"Who knows, maybe the donor is a serial killer."_ She had said as a joke, sobering up when realizing that Julia's father was indeed a killer.

Maura had just rolled her eyes and pointed out the exact same thing. Then she had suggested to ask Kent if Jane preferred. Then it had been the brunette who had rolled her eyes. She liked Kent, but she just couldn't imagine him being the father of their child. Maura and she were weird enough after all. Adding more weirdness was somehow a scary. They had finally dropped the subject.

Another thought crossed her mind: as cliché as it sounded, but she really favored the turkey baster. A child shouldn't be conceived in a clinical surrounding she thought, but rather at their home when making love. Jane wanted Maura to be part of the process, because it would be their child after all. The clinic would only be their last resort. She shot a quick glance at her partner who was staring out of the window gnawing at her thumbnail.

That's new. She thought. Never had she seen Maura do this before. It hit her that this baby thing would be another challenge for their marriage. There were so many decisions to take. Like always, she thought, they were doing things in another order than would be usual. Usually you get married and have kids. But they had kids, then got married and now they were having a baby. This was just so like them, and it made her chuckle silently.

This caught Maura's attention who turned to her with a questioning look. One eyebrow was raised, and her mouth showed a slight pout. Jane mouthed her thoughts about how they always turned everything upside down and noticed a soft tugging at the corners of her wife's mouth.

All discussions and thoughts were blown away, when they reached Frankie's place, where they picked up two excited girls. "_Uncle Frankie is going to teach us baseball."_ Julia shared the reason for their good mood.

"_And he showed us how to climb a tree!"_ Sophie mentioned, totally over the moon.

"_Oh, is that so?"_ Jane chuckled, noticing a frown from Maura.

"_Yes! He is the greatest uncle!"_ Julia cheered and juddered with her arms in the backseat.

R&I

Jane lay silently in bed and waited for Maura. As always, her nightly routine wasn't as time consuming as Maura's. Her arms were crossed behind her head as she stared blankly at the ceiling. She had a decision to take. And as much as she had been able to forget about it during the day, the dark thoughts crawled back into her mind with the stillness of the night. Her chest felt heavy and she found it hard to breathe.

She lay there for a long time, even after Maura had finally come to bed and they had kissed good night.

"_You think I should do it, right?"_

Maura's eyes searched hers in the dark.

"_Jane…"_ the blonde started cautiously. _"Its not my place to take this decision. I'm not in your shoes. I don't know if I could do it, if it had happened to me." _

"_Why is it that I feel so ashamed, even if none of this was my fault?_" Jane whispered on the verge of tears. Even after a lot of sessions with her therapist she felt guilty and ashamed. The weight on the mattress shifted when Maura rolled to her side to face Jane. She caressed the cheek of the brunette with the back of her hand.

"_I don't know Jane. You did nothing wrong. You are the victim. Maybe you should shift your focus on your feelings. It makes you feel weak. But, it only shows how strong you are. Don't you think so? You carried his child and gave a wonderful person to this world. You are a real badass_."

Jane sighed and Maura continued after giving her some time to mull over the words. _"You always tell victims to speak up. And speaking up might not show people that you are weak. But rather that you are a badass. You did nothing wrong as you said. And facing Casey and telling him could be helpful for healing too. But as I've said, I'm not in your shoes. I can't say what's right or wrong. I can only say that no matter what you decide, I'll be by your side."_

Jane nodded into the darkness. Her ever logic Maura had a point there. _"I'll tell Cavanaugh on Monday. And I'll go onto the witness stand to talk about it."_

Maura hitched a breath at the fierce words. Her hands paused for a few seconds. _"I will be there."_

The brunette knew that Maura meant it, but she wasn't sure if she wanted her wife to hear her statement. This was still far to personal and she didn't want Maura to hear all the details. But she kept her thoughts quiet for now. She closed her eyes, cupping the blonde's hand on her cheek with her own. This simple touch gave her all the strength she needed right now.


	39. Chapter 39

Frankie got to keep the case with his partner, despite him being Janes brother. "One wrong action or word and you're out!" Cavanaugh had warned them. Her brother might have also inherited some good portion of the Rizzoli temper, but unlike Jane he was more moderate. Another old acquaintance had appeared for what she sarcastically called the show, and the brunette didn't like it. She almost fell unconscious when Dean walked into the precinct stating that he would be on board of the case.

"_Hell, it feels as if the FBI only has one agent."_ She muttered more to herself than to anyone else in the room. Maura who was standing right next to her softly squeezed her hand. They were standing behind the window overlooking the interview room.

"_Pretty crowded in here." _Casey snarked glancing accusingly at Frankie, his partner and Dean.

His lawyer bent to whisper something into his ear, but he waved him away like an annoying fly. His face was grim. "_Is Jane here too? I'm sure that she is behind the window." _

Jane hitched a breath as his eyes seemingly locked with hers although she knew that it was impossible for him to see her. He didn't know what he had coming yet. Nobody had informed him, that this interview would be less about the murder of his father, than about the rape. Jane still hated the thought that Gabriel was involved. There are things you didn't want to share with some people and for her taste already too many people knew about it.

The interrogation began when Frankie dictated the formal details. Maura's hand rested calmly on her shoulder while watching. _"You shouldn't watch this."_ The blonde repeated herself, knowing thought that Jane wouldn't want to have it. The brunette was determined to hear what Casey had to say.

She had given her statement earlier that week to Frankie's partner, Cavanaugh and Dean. Not feeling comfortable to tell Frankie or Maura all the gory details while looking into their eyes. She knew that both had read the statement though. And she was grateful that none of them talked about it.

The door to the little room opened and Korsak walked inside. Korsak who had always been like a father to her nodded his greeting, taking his place silently next to the two women. Jane felt that he wasn't sure if he could hug her, so she simply turned to do so. He gave her a small but reassuring smile. There was no need to say a word.

The questioning in the adjoining room started. Casey's face reflected his shock when he came to realize that Jane had talked. Obviously, he hadn't expected it. Soon anger replaced the shock and he started to yell. Of course, he denied that it was a rape. He stated bluntly that it had been consensual sex. This reaction had absolutely been expected. His problem was that Jane had gone to the hospital. There was proof of the rape.

R&I

"_Are you okay, Jane?"_ Maura asked knowing that it was a stupid question. But her wife had been sitting around depressed all evening. The blonde wanted to make her talk. The brunette didn't, so she didn't reply. Tears started to shimmer in Janes eyes and Maura just pulled her closer into her arms, rocking her like she rocked Sophie or Julia when they were sad.

A knock to the door made them glance at the watch. It was already 10 pm. Maura sighed and got off to take care of the visitor. She had barely opened the door, when a red-faced Angela stormed into the house, dropping her luggage in the hallway, walking straight towards her daughter.

Jane thought that she had been hit by a truck judged by the force of her mothers embrace. _"Great, now we can have a family party."_ She mumbled sarcastically getting up from the couch to walk upstairs.

R&I

Jane lay in bed, the cover drawn over her head. It had been a looong time since she had done that for the last time she thought. The interrogation had gone well today, but it was still disturbing. All memories had come back. And it was even worse to know that other people walked around and all over them. She needed time and peace to process everything.

Maura's hug and rocking had helped a lot. But her mother had made it worse. She felt even more ashamed than if only Frankie and Maura and well Dean knew.

She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear the footsteps approaching her bed. Jane almost shrieked when the cover was suddenly lifted and to chocolate brown eyes peeked at her. Before she knew, Julia and Sophie had joined her under the cover.

The girls giggled and the little blonde girl lit her torch, which the brunette had given her for her last birthday, so that she could find her way to the bathroom at night. Jane shrieked when her legs were touched by cold feet.

The excited laughter of the kids was somehow contagious. And soon Jane felt much better. She just lay there, listening to the jokes, watching how the girls made faces in the torchlight. Small arms wrapped around her and tried to tickle her.

Life for the kids was easy. She remembered her childhood, when she and her brothers used to spend endless seeming summer days doing stupid things and teasing each other. They had told and invented stories just like Sophie and Julia did. Every day had been great.

Maybe Sophie and Julia would lay in bed one day and think back to these days. Or this exact night when they had fun under the cover with Jane. She somehow hoped so as she joined their fun by tickling them, adding new faces and participating in inventing their stories.

She had no idea how long they had been there in their hideout. It didn't seem to be long. Footsteps announced the arrival of a new guest and Sophie poked her head gingerly out to see that it was Maura. The blonde was surprised, but also delighted when being invited to their party. Against Janes believes, Maura was only too willing to come under the covers too.

When the kids had finally fallen asleep, Jane carried them one by one to their beds.

"_I prepared the guestroom for Angela. I hope its okay. She was just worried."_ Maura said after extinguishing the lights.

"_I know."_ Jane sighed. "_I just needed some time to process."_

"_Oh, that went well as I see_." Maua chuckled.

"_Yeah."_ Jane laughed her soft laugh which Maua loved so much. "_But this was also good therapy."_

"_I bet it was. I had no clue that they had sneaked into our room. I didn't hear a noise from theirs, so I assumed that they were sleeping." _

Jane wrinkled her nose_. "These little monster sleep now for sure. They didn't even wake up when I carried them through half of the house."_

Maura laughed heartedly. "_I love you, Jane. And I'm in awe for you because you are such a strong person." _Their fingers laced and their lips touched.

"_I love you too, Maur."_ Jane simply whispered.

R&I

The next morning Jane found Angela preparing breakfast in the kitchen. Her mother showed a worried expression when the brunette padded into the room. Jane remembered that she hadn't been all to nice the previous evening and went over to kiss Angela's cheek softly.

"_Hi Ma!"_ she said calmly, noticing that the elder woman had already prepared coffee. She gratefully took one and poured one for Maura who was still in the shower.

"_I'm sorry, Jane. I shouldn't have come. When I heard about the story…."_ Angela was fidgeting with her hands; tears were dwelling in her eyes. She sighed and took a deep breath. "_When I heard the story, I was imagining the pain you must feel. I just rushed to you without thinking, because I wanted to comfort you. But you have Maura for that now. So, I'm going to leave after breakfast."_

Jane heard the joyful sounds of the kids in the garden and paused shortly before moving into Angela's arms. _"Don't!"_ she said. "_Stay a few days. I would like that. And just so you know: I might have a wife to hug me now. But a mothers hug is also always welcome."_

Angela sniffed. _"Really? I don't want to be in your way. You know?"_

"_Really!"_ Jane said in a firm tone. When both separated they found Maura standing in the doorway watching the scene. She too had tears in her eyes as she walked over to Jane to leave a kiss on her cheek before grabbing her cup of coffee.

The brunette groaned when Angela set a plate with bunny shaped pancakes in front of her. She always groaned, but somehow it touched her how her mother still underwent the fuss of making them.

Julia and Sophie came were delighted by Angela's doings and chatted lightly with their grandmother.


	40. Chapter 40

Angela's visit turned out to be a blessing for everybody. She spent a lot of time with her grandkids. And usually when Maura and Jane got up in the morning, coffee and breakfast was already ready. When they came home after their long and sometimes straining days, they found a delicious meal on the table.

"_I'm going to gain so much weight."_ Jane complained playfully once when she sat on the couch in Maura's office. The blonde chuckled.

In reality she enjoyed these days with her mother. Not only because she cooked and took care of the kids, but also because of the talks, the hugs and her emotional support. Most of the evenings they sat on the deck in the pre summer warmth with a glass of wine and enjoyed each other's company.

Sometimes Jane was overwhelmed with the love and support from everybody in her family which showed in many different ways. Yet there were times when it was hard for her to accept this support.

One evening when Angela was gone again, she caught herself missing her mothers presence. _Hell! _She muttered and rolled her eyes playfully.

"_I think we should start looking for a donor."_ She mumbled to Maura who shot her a surprised look. Its been two weeks since the doctor's appointment. Jane had needed the time; she had needed for things around Casey had cooled down. The investigation was done, the proofs were solid. Now they had to wait for the trial to start.

"_I haven't forgotten."_ Jane smiled at Maura's surprised look and flashed her dimples.

"_I never assumed that you would forget Jane. It's just that I thought that you might wanna wait until the whole thing is over." _

"_I still want the baby. And I still want it now."_ Her hands reached over the table to cup Maura's. Their eyes locked and she noticed how the hazel eyes were enlightened by the last sunrays. It hit her that she wouldn't mind being lost in these beautiful eyes forever.

"_Let's go inside and check for some sperm banks. Shall we?"_ Jane whispered, patting Maura's knees.

R&I

It felt weird to flip through the stranger's files like through any online shopping portal. Jane, who was used to checking files of people had a hard time to adjust to the system of the sperm bank they had chosen. Maybe it was that her eyes were used to scan for criminal records and other stuff, rather then checking for height, eye colors and hobbies.

"_I don't know, Maur. Maybe we should choose Kent after all._" The brunette exclaimed, rubbing her tired eyes in frustration. _"To me they all look the same!"_

The blonde sighed and lifted her eyes from the screen towards Jane_. "I know what you mean."_ She muttered.

It took them four more frustrating visits to the catalogue until they had narrowed down their list of potential candidates to three. All of them had hazel eyes and blonde hair.

"_I'm going for the med student."_ The brunette stated one night determined. _"And the turkey baster_!"

Maura frowned slightly, feeling suddenly nervous and excited. _"When?"_ she only asked, stunned and in awe. They had been monitoring Janes cycle for a while now and they knew that the next possibility to give it a shot – literally – was in 10 days. 10 days should be enough to mentally prepare, Jane thought and mentioned this to Maura.

The blonde hesitated to Janes surprise.

"_Cmon, we are not getting younger."_ Jane chuckled softly, nudging Maura slightly.

Maura took a deep breath. "_You're right. Let's do it in 10 days then!"_

R&I

While Maura had calmed down over the last days, Jane started to become more and more nervous as the chosen date approached. Her desk reflected the chaos in her mind. Not that it had ever been clean, but this was different. Cases were piling up as they had a lot of cases to work.

The bullpen was buzzing with people and activity and everybody – Maura too – worked longer hours than usual. Of course, this wasn't the real reason why she was so nervous. She knew that she still had control over work.

She looked for her phone which had slid under a pile of papers when it buzzed, grateful for some distraction. It was a message from Angela who announced that she would be coming on Friday to pick up the girls. Summer holidays were just a few days away and they had agreed that Julia and Sophie would spend two weeks in Boston with the elder Rizzoli.

Both girls were already looking forward to it, as did their grandmother. "It will be so nice to have some life in the house." Angela raved about it all the time. Jane thought that her mother had no idea what she was getting herself into and smiled. Despite having raised three kids practically on her own, the girls could be quite a challenge.

She quickly typed okay as an answer and then focused back on the work. She didn't have to wait for the next interruption.

**Come to the morgue, asap! – m**

After checking the watch on her computer, the brunette decided that it was time to move a bit anyways and stood to make her way to the morgue, wondering what had prompted Maura to write her this message.

R&I

"_What is it?"_ she asked after pushing the doors to the morgue wide open, walking straight to the steel table. Maura, who was dressed in her usual black scrubs glanced up from the body. Not another problem with a colleague Jane hoped as she saw angry eyes drilling into hers.

"_There is something you need to see."_ The blonde took off her gloves and instructed her assistant to close the body on the table as they were already finished with the autopsy. Jane silently followed her wife into her office.

"_Close the door."_ Maura instructed her and Jane did as she was asked.

"_What is it, Maur?"_ she asked again once they could talk in private. Janes patience was wearing thin as she thought of the work she had left behind. But at the same time she was worried about what was going on.

Soon enough she understood the problem. They had a mole in the lab, leaking information to the press.

"_I'll take care of it."_ Jane was now as angry as Maura. There was already a plan forming in her mind how to possibly find out who was responsible for it.

R&I

By Friday the situation had relaxed a bit and they were getting the luggage ready for the kids. They worked as a team. Jane putting the underwear into the suitcases lay open on the bed. Maura bringing the sox, followed by the t-shirts delivered by Jane again.

They were just done with packing when the doorbell announced Angela's arrival. _"I'll take care of it."_ Maura announced, laughing at Jane who was sitting on Sophies suitcase in order to be able to close it.

Jane grunted first, and then cheered after completing her task. The brunette glanced mischievously at Julia's suitcase which was also cramped beyond reasonable. We need to buy more suitcases she thought as she walked over to the piece of luggage.

The air was cool after it had rained the entire day. Still the three women were sitting on the deck enjoying a glass of wine while the kids played in their room. Angela told them the plans for the next two weeks and gave them the latest news from Boston.

It felt good to catch up for all of them. Frankie joined them for a beer after work.

Jane took her time saying good night to the two little monsters. She sighed, realizing that she somehow missed them already. They could be monsters, but they could also be so sweet. _"Good night sweethearts."_ She whispered one last time before leaving the room to Maura who also stayed longer than usual.

When she walked out of the room, she found Angela standing by the door, a soft smile was playing on her mothers' lips. "_You two are great mothers."_ She said and hugged Jane quickly before walking into the guestroom.

Jane still wondered how her mother had changed. But hadn't they all?


	41. Chapter 41

_So, this is it_! Jane thought and rubbed her sweaty hands on her pants. This would be the day where they would try to make a baby. Maura chuckled nervously as she dropped an orange to the floor while they were both hoovering around the kitchen to get ready for work.

The air was filled with all sorts of feelings like excitement, fear and nervousness which completely messed with their morning routine. None of them should probably drive Jane thought as she fumbled with the shifting stick. None of them had expected this to be so emotional.

One last hug and one last kiss was exchanged before each walked into separate elevators driving into different directions. Jane was walking into the bullpen where some detectives were still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. Some were tired from working all night.

The brunette greeted them with a smile as usual before she started to work on a report hoping that nothing unforeseen would come up and keep them at the precinct longer than their shift. The routine soon calmed her down and she managed to get everything done by lunchtime.

As she felt hungry after all this work, she messaged Maura to see if her wife had time to grab some food at the nearby Bistro they liked so much. Unfortunately, she hadn't, so Jane went alone. It was one of these rainy days, but despite this horrible weather the streets were crowded. Her eyes followed the passers by absentminded, while she took a bite of her Burger busy thinking about the evening.

Maura had invited her to a French restaurant to warm up for the events and Jane glanced at her watch to see that she had just enough time to find a nice dress to surprise her tonight. Maybe she would stop on her way home to buy flowers. It was not necessary, but she wanted this evening to be special.

R&I

"_Maur!?"_ Jane yelled through the house in a not exact romantic way. _"Where the hell are you?"_

"_I just want to make sure that.."_

Jane sighed and got off the bed to pad into the kitchen to see her wife standing at the counter working on the turkey baster. Jane hadn't bothered to put some clothes on and was shivering slightly as it was a bit cold. Her arms wrapped around Maura's waist from behind and she rested her head on the blondes shoulder, pressing their bodies together.

"_Come on, baby. Its fine. You already checked it a hundred times."_ The brunette whispered softly into her wife's ears_. "I don't know if I can do this."_ The blonde suddenly said and dropped the baster. _"Maybe we shouldn't…"_

The brunette hitched a breath, surprised when seeing a stern look on Maura's face. Was her wife really having second thoughts or did she just have cold feet? Jane asked herself _"But you wanted this so badly." _She said, now wishing that she had at least put on a gown as it seemed that there would be a longer discussion.

"_I know, Jane. But I mean, do we really want to start this diaper changing thing all over again?"_

Jane had a hard time understanding what was going on here. The evening had been fine, and Maura had not once mentioned that she had second thoughts about the whole thing. _"We could have talked Maur. If you had mentioned earlier that you aren't sure about this anymore."_ Jane stated as she leaned against the kitchen counter while the blonde started pacing.

"_We can talk about it now, Jane."_ Maura replied.

Brownie who had been laying on his cushion in the corner of the room yawned and stretched. Sensing the tension, he left for his scratch tree in the living room. Janes eyes followed him and then focused back on Maura.

"_All right."_ She muttered a bit angry, not knowing why_. "Then we won't do it."_ Her lean body pushed away from the counter and she walked to get dressed leaving Maura behind in the kitchen. The blonde didn't follow her.

Jane sat down onto the bed, resting her back against the headboard. Her knees were pulled towards her body and her arms lay on them. She rubbed her face and tried to get hold of her emotions. Why was she so goddam mad at Maura? The question ran through her mind as her heart hurt. Maybe it even broke a little bit, feeling a loss. She had wanted this baby so much and felt sort of empty, even if it didn't make any sense to her because so far this baby had only been a fantasy.

If Maura hadn't started the topic it would all be fine. Of course, it was okay that her wife had changed her mind. But still…. The brunette wanted to hit something with her fist but held it under control. Tears were streaming down her face which she ended up burying between her knees.

A warm hand softly touched her shuddering shoulder_. "I'm sorry, Jane. I freaked out. If you want this baby we can still make it."_

"_Maur, there is no sense in having a baby if we are not both into it_." Jane growled dangerously in frustration. "_Just tell me why you didn't tell me earlier that you had second thoughts? Tell me what changed your mind?"_ Her eyes bore into Maura's who swallowed at the stern look.

"_I don't know."_ The blonde shrugged. "_I just don't know. It just freaks me out you know?"_

"_You wanted to have this baby at the first place. I was totally fine!"_ the accusing voice even hurt Jane herself. She kind of shifted and slipped into Maura's arms. The blonde was crying now too. They clung to each other as if they were drowning. There was going to be no baby Jane thought. But they loved each other, and they would get over this. As much as this hurt, she respected Maura's choice.

R&I

When Jane awoke the next morning, she panicked. The other half of the bed was empty. It wasn't even warm anymore. When had Maura gotten up? Where was she? The brunette strained her ears, but she couldn't hear any sound.

They had ended up making love the previous night. It hat been kind of frantic and as if to get rid of the pressure and this raised more panic in Jane. She was just about to get up when the door opened slowly.

The blonde peeked her head into the room. Jane saw the tray in her wife's hands, containing delicious breakfast and most important: coffee. The brunette was craving for coffee. The last night had left her with a headache and sleep deprivation.

She could see that Maura had been crying earlier by the red, puffy eyes and felt sorry.

"_What a mess."_ She mumbled as she reached over to tuck a strand of blonde hair behind Maura's ears.

"_You must hate me."_ Maura whispered, fixing her eyes onto her hands in her lap.

"_I could never hate you, Maur. I love you_." She replied softly, wiping the single tear which was rolling down the blonde's cheek away. When Maura finally looked at her Jane smiled_. "Okay. I hate you sometimes a tiny bit, when you drive me mad in a bad way. But its only temporarily_." Jane admitted with a soft laughter.

Maura nodded and Jane could see that she wanted to say something. Therefore, she waited.

"_You also drive me mad sometimes. Like when you leave your dirty clothes on the floor_." Maura admitted. _"But that's not the point. I shouldn't have done that to you yesterday. I just freaked out. Everything was fine until it was time to…"_ Maura took a deep breath. "_I just panicked. But it's not that I don't want this baby. I want it very much. I wish so much that I could tell you what got into me last night, but I can't. Even after meditating for the last two hours over it."_

The brunette gazed at Maura attentively and then bent over to plant a kiss on her mouth. She was sure that the blonde meant it when she said that she still wanted the baby and this was all she needed to know.

They ate in silence and then got ready for work.


	42. Chapter 42

Jane watched Maura's chest rise and fall as she breathed in her sleep. One breast was poking out of the cover and had a tempting effect on Jane. They literally screamed for her touch. The brunette groaned silently as she followed the soft curves with her eyes.

She had no idea what time it was, but the sun was already rising, covering the room with a soft red light. The brunette decided to let her hand glide onto the blonde's body, feeling the soft skin on her stomach. Maura gave a soft moan and stirred when Janes hand reached her breath after caressing her for a while.

"_Don't stop, please."_ Maura begged sleepily when Jane stopped hesitating. A smile spread on her face as she whispered softly _"Good morning, baby."_

"_Morning."_ Came the muffled reply. The sun was now reflecting in the honey blonde hair. Making it shine and Janes hand caressed the breasts, teasing them slowly. More moaning and Maura shifted to make it easier for Jane to access her body. The nipples already stood up. Jane started kissing the corners of her mouth, letting her tongue trace down the neck towards her hands which were kneading the soft tissue.

Maura opened her eyes and lifted Janes chin to kiss her. _"I love you so much."_ She whispered in between their kisses. _"I love you too, Maur."_ Jane replied smiling. They continued to tease each other for a while until the blonde interrupted Jane_. "Just give me a minute, okay?"_

Jane nodded, laying back while waiting for Maura who soon reappeared from the kitchen. Janes eyes widened at the realization what her wife had brought with her. Her glance wandering from the object in Maura's hand to hazel eyes which were asking silently if it was okay.

Jane opened her arms in response, and they continued. Soft and slow until they were satiated. When they lay in each other's arms afterwards they kept caressing each other. _"This is perfect._" Jane whispered and left a kiss on Maura's forehead.

There was no more talking for a while as this seemed unnecessary. They both just enjoyed the moment. None of them was on call and the kids were back at Angela's after being two weeks at home, they had begged to go back to Boston. With both parents working it was more fun with their grandmother who had plenty of time and did lots of fun stuff with them.

Jane was thankful that they were so easy going and bright. She hoped that if they would be successful with making another baby, this one would be the same. Her hands wandered sub-consciously down to her belly. She closed her eyes and felt how Maura's hand followed to cup it.

R&I

Both returned to work after a nice and relaxing weekend. They had managed to find the mole the past week and now it was time for Jane to write the report.

The days passed quickly with a lot of work and nice evenings on the deck or in front of the TV. Three weeks later Jane and Maura went to visit Angela and some other friends. They would take the kids home as their holidays were almost over and then have another week of holiday with them at home before school started again.

The morning after they had arrived at her mother's house Jane woke up and groaned. She didn't feel well at all. Nausea wasn't her best friend and she hated to puke, therefore she tried to lay still in hope that it would pass. _God_, she whispered jumping off the bed making it just in time to the bathroom.

Was it possible? She thought as she sat on the cold tiles on the floor next to the bowl. One try and she was pregnant? Maybe it was just the stomach flu. The kids had had it recently. She made a mental note to buy a pregnancy test later that day if possible.

She glanced up when the door to the bathroom opened and saw her mother peeking inside.

"_Are you okay, Janie?"_ she asked, reaching for a towel to wet it with cold water. Angela sat at the nearby rim of the bathtub and handed it to her_. "Uh oh. I don't know. I feel sick ma."_ Jane complained, bringing the damp towel to her neck.

Jane decided to spend the morning in bed, groaning and complaining. Maura chuckled softly at her antics as she caressed her wife's cheek. _"We need to get a pregnancy test."_ Jane whispered asking herself if it wasn't a bit too early for it. Maura simply nodded and shifted so that Jane could snuggle into her and rest her head on her shoulder.

As she felt much better in the afternoon, they decided to watch a Disney movie at the cinema. Angela accepted their invitation and offered the kids candy and popcorn_. "Uhh, can I have some too?"_ the brunette asked and suddenly felt her mothers' curious eyes on her. _"What? What's a movie without popcorn and candy?"_ she asked.

"_Yes, but I thought you have the stomach flu?"_ Angela questioned nonchalantly.

"_Maybe it was just one of these viruses which pass quickly."_ Jane pointed out, looking at Maura hoping for back up. The blonde was just busy cleaning Julia's sticky hands and didn't react. So, Jane glanced back at her mother who simply shrugged. _"Fine, but if you get sick again don't complain."_

"_Fine, I won't!"_ Jane replied, noticing that Maura had finally brought her attention to the ongoing conversation.

"_Fine!"_ Angela retorted and turned to the girls to ask them what they wanted.

R&I

"_I didn't have any morning sickness when I was pregnant with Sophie."_ Maura said as they sat in the bathroom waiting for the result of the pregnancy test. Jane felt sick again wasn't in the mood of joking.

She bit back a sarcastic comment though. Instead she pleaded Maura to distract her with some google mouthing. The blonde looked puzzled but then started to talk about a study of how probable it was to have morning sickness.

"_Not helping, Maur!"_ Jane mumbled between clenched teeth. _"Not helping at all!"_

"_You said I should distract you."_ The blonde looked a bit offended now.

"_Distraction is not if you talk about the topic you should distract from._" Jane quickly opened the lid of the toilet. As she threw up, she felt Maura rubbing her back soothingly.

Of course, it didn't take long for Angela to knock on the door. _"Girls? Is everything okay in there?"_ she asked.

Okay was not exactly what Jane was, but Maura jumped and cheered as she coincidently glanced at the test which showed a clear result. "_We're pregnant, Jane. We did it!"_ she exclaimed, which made Angela tear the door wide open and fall into a little dance with Maura_. "Oh, that's wonderful. I had no idea!" _the elder woman said with a grin that spread from ear to ear.

"_Yeah, great."_ Jane growled and rinsed her mouth. But by the time she was pulled into a hug together with Maura by Angela she also grinned.

"_You know the best thing is, that the baby will have a cousin of the same age."_

"_Excuse me?"_ Janes head snapped and Angela quickly covered her mouth. _"Oh, I shouldn't have told you. It's a secret!"_

"_Who?"_ Jane asked dumbfounded.

"_Frankie told me the news yesterday. But shhh, you're not supposed to know._" Angela said in a hurry.

As soon as they had untangled their limps Angela changed subject and got busy giving Jane loads of advice. Then Jane had to sip some secret blend of tea against her sickness, which made her even more sick.

"_Hell, I'm not going to survive this!"_ she later said to Maura. _"I've never had that with Julia."_

"_This is probably one of the moments you hate me."_ Maura mouthed her thought.

"_I'm too sick and tired to feel anything. Don't worry."_ Jane said and was grateful for the hand which was holding hers.


	43. Chapter 43

"_Congratulations!"_ Frankie and Nina shouted as they came onto the deck, where Jane was sitting and reading. Their two kids immediately ran into the garden to join Julia and Sophie on a late summer afternoon.

Jane sighed and put the book aside to greet them with a hug. "_Well, congratulations to you too!"_ she said with a smile. Even if her mother had changed a lot, some things never changed. Jane was sure that Angela had picked up the phone the moment they had left the house to call some relatives despite having promised to keep it a secret.

"_Funny."_ Frankie stated during the following conversation. _"I always thought that Maura would carry the child if you were to have another one."_

"_Frankie!"_ Nina scolded him, slapping him slightly onto the arm. Jane rolled her eyes.

"_Excuse me?"_ he said "_Why cant I say that_?"

"_Its okay_." Maura laughed. "_We did discuss about it. Jane indeed wanted me to carry the child. I wanted her. It was a blood test which decided."_ She shrugged.

"_Yes. And not in my favor. I'm going to gain weight and I won't be able to see my feet. No wonder I had to do it."_ Jane grunted half-jokingly. She bent over to smooth Maura's pouted face with a soft kiss. _"I love you even if you make me go through this."_ She said.

"_You're not making it better."_ Maura said in dismay taking a sip from her juice.

Frankie got slapped again when he laughed. "_That's not funny_." Nina scolded him, remembering how she felt the last time she was pregnant.

"_Jeez_" Frankie muttered. Everybody seemed relieved when they directed their conversation to safer grounds.

R&I

"_You know that I've been joking, when I complained earlier, right?"_ Jane said when Maura came out of the bathroom. The brunette had noticed that the blonde was still a bit mad at her and assumed that it was because of her comment.

"_You know that I like to complain. But I'm happy and I'm looking forward to have the baby."_ She added quickly.

Maura slipped into the bed sighing. _"I know that, Jane."_

Of course, she knew. She was her best friend and sometimes Maura knew Jane better than the brunette did herself.

"_So, what's the matter than?"_ Jane gazed at her. She was surprised when Maura turned in bed to rest her had on Janes belly after kissing it.

"_I don't know_." Maura started and stopped when Jane scoffed. It wasn't as if she didn't read Maura, like the blonde did her.

"_Just spill it, baby."_ The brunette stated, caressing over the blondes face and hair. It took Maura some time to reply. But when she did it warmed Janes heart_. "It's just that I'm a bit jealous sometimes. I still believe that its best that you carry the child. But seeing you sometimes makes me want to life that experience again. Without morning sickness and swollen feet of course." _The blonde smirked.

"_A joke, Maur? Really?"_ Jane laughed softly at Maura's grin. _"I don't know how man do it? They must want to know what it feels like."_ The blonde mused out loud.

"_I have no clue about what they think about this. But you know how it feels. This is why you are so attentive."_ Came the deep voice from Jane.

"_Yes. I know. But its been a while. Im don't remember everything. How do you feel right now?"_

Jane lifted an eyebrow and thought about the question. _"Uhm, It's difficult to explain. My body doesn't feel any different, it seems to be the same. Yet at the same I know that something is there growing inside of me."_ She silently watched as Maura drew small circles onto the skin of her stomach.

She made a mental note to tell the blonde more often how it felt. She seemed to need this form of involvement.

"_What if you were right and we are too old for this._" Maura whispered. Jane made a dismissive gesture with her hand and snorted_. "Forget what I said. We are not too old for this. It is going to be wonderful. We get to raise a child together from the start."_ She eyed the blonde who nodded absentminded.

"_Where is this suddenly coming from?"_ the brunette questioned softly.

"_I overheard people talk in the lab."_ Maura admitted slowly. _"About how people above 40 shouldn't get any children."_ Jane mulled over the words in silence. It was untypical for Maura to let such thing insecure her. Therefore, she assumed that there must have been something else.

"_Yeah, people talk all the time about things they have no clue of. So what?"_ Jane stated shrugging.

"_Constance wrote me a text."_ Ahhhh why hadn't she thought of that. Whenever Constance made contact it shattered the blonde into pieces and made her doubt herself and her life. Jane tried not to roll her eyes and stay calm.

"_Oh Maura."_ Jane whispered when she saw tears dwelling up in the hazel eyes she loved so much. _"Come here."_ She opened her arms and Maura moved into them burying her face in the brunette's neck.

While Jane was wondering whether to ask about what Constance had wanted from her or not, Maura lifted her head and told her that her adoptive mother had written that she was about to make a new testament and she needed some dates from Sophie.

"_But the thing that hurts me most is, that she doesn't even consider Julia as her grandchild. She is my child too. This is so unfair!_" Maura almost yelled the last words in anger while tears were rolling down her cheek at the same time.

"_Oh boy."_ Jane muttered. She was surprised at herself, that she wasn't angry at Constance about not asking about Julia even though she knew that Maura had adopted her. What made her mad was that she hurt Maura so much.

"_So, you called her?"_ Jane assumed when all pieces of the puzzle fell in place. A feeling she loved so much about her work.

"_Yes, and I told her that we were having a baby."_

"_Oh boy."_ Jane muttered again. _"Just forget it, Maur! Its not worth wasting your time on being mad. This is Constance. She always has been this way and maybe will be like this forever. Its unfair, yes! I agree with you totally. But being mad or sad doesn't change anything. We have everything we need: a loving family, great kids, a job we like, a home. Focus on what's good and on what you or we have achieved."_

"_She said, we're crazy to have another child at our age. How can you stay so calm?_"

"_Oh Jesus. Stop yelling, Maur. You will wake up the kids. I stay calm because I'm happy. We don't need the money. And you won't be able to change her. Its her opinion. Okay. Everybody has a right to his own opinion. But that doesn't mean that she's right. I wouldn't exactly classify her as expert when it comes to parenting. I know how much you long to be loved from her. Maybe she loves you in her own weird and twisted way. But you can't force her to change."_

"_Its easy to talk for you. Your mother turned 180 degrees and became a respecting person. She has always loved you, even if sometimes it had been too much, but still…."_ Maura now stated angry, pushing herself away from Jane. The brunette knew that this wasn't meant mean or so. This was just what Constance did to Maura.

"_I love you, Maur."_ She said with a sad smile. _"Come on. I know you hurt, and I know that it's easy for me to talk. But be honest. You wouldn't say any different thing if it were the other way round. So, please Maur, try to stay with me. don't hide in your little snail house. Don't let Constance do that to you. I.. the kids… this family needs you."_

Maura was silent for a very long time. Jane thought that she had already lost her to the downward spiral she usually fell into at such occasions.

The blonde finally cleared her throat and Jane sighed in relieve when the blonde moved back into her arms without further fights. _"I love you."_ She whispered again. _"I love you too, Jane and you're right. I would have said the same to you. Because this is the truth."_

"_Are you fighting?" _a small, scared voice announced the presence of Sophie who pushed herself into the room through the door.

"_No, honey. We're fine. Do you want to join us and cuddle a bit?"_ Jane softly said.

"_But mum is crying."_ Sophie anxiously replied while crawling into their bed to snuggle up against Jane.

"_Also adults cry sometimes, you know. Things happen that make us sad or angry. And then we yell or cry. And sometimes its good. But the most important thing is to talk about what's bothering you."_

She watched as Sophie caressed over the tears on Maura's cheek. Her movements were gentle. _"Its okay mum. Don't be so sad."_ She whispered over Jane. It hit the brunette how sensitive their kids were and how they found the right words or ways to cheer them up as Maura's tears finally subsided.

God, I love this family so much Jane thought kissing the girl's forehead and then Maura's. _"I think I go back to bed."_ Sophie yawned after a while. Jane watched her slip out of the bed and disappear into the hallway and sighed.


	44. Chapter 44

„Good morning, sexy." Jane whispered with a smile as Maura opened her eyes slowly. The blonde had turned into a real long sleeper while the brunette now always woke before her. Jane didnt mind. She loved watching her wife sleep. There was a sense of calm and peace coming oft he woman with whom she shared the bed.

Maura yawned and smiled. The blonde thought that she would never grow weary of waking up next to this beautiful woman who bent over to kiss her cheek gently, wrapping her long arms around her. „I love you." She whispered to her, snuggling deep into janes embrace.

There was a doctors appointement scheduled for today with an ultrasound and neither oft he women could wait to finally get catch a glimpse of baby Rizzoli.

„I love you too, Maur." Jane replied as she left a kiss on Mauras forehead, glad that the dark cloud named Constance had gone over the last few days and that the blonde had managed to keep out oft he usual downward spiral she usually fell into after the contact with her family.

She could hear how Sophie and Julia walked past their room, whispering to each other and smiled. They had grown remarkably lately. She wondered how they would react to the baby. They hadnt told them yet and they wouldnt until the first trimester was over.

Jane planted one last kiss tot he cheek of her wife before unwrapping her arms from Maura and sliding out of bed as she needed to go tot he bathroom. Maura gave a soft growl as the warmth from Jane was suddenly gone. Then she too rose from the bed to get ready for the day.

Soon the entire family was gathered around the table for breakfast.

„Can i join the baseball team in school?" Sophie asked, while munching on a huge slice of bread.

Maura looked surprised. Her daughter was definetly diffrent in some aspects to her. Jane glanced at her and then at Julia who was eating in silence.

„Well, if thats what you want ist okay." Maura replied.

„Yay!" Sophie shot her fist up, looking happy. Julia smiled silently. Like Jane she wasnt a morning person.

„Can you practice with us then?" the girl with the unruly dark curls asked.

„Sure." The brunette said, taking a sip from her orange juice.

„double yay!" Julia and Sophie exclaimed. They rose from their chairs to get ready for school.

„I keep wondering." Maura said once they were in their room.

„About what?" Jane asked, shoving the last bite into her mouth.

„About their sexual preference. Dont you?" Jane almost choked on her bread. The question had never crossed her mind. But she knew that soon their daughters would start to come into adolescence.

„When did you know that you were gay?" Maura softly asked. Now that was an interesting question Jane thought as she grabbed the plates and put them into the dishwasher, their newest ad tot he household.

„Uhm, dont know. Guess when i was twelve. You know how it goes. All girls suddenly get crazy about boys and you think: what the heck do they have with them?"

She laughed softly at Mauras smirk. The blonde joined her with more dishes and pursed lips.

„How about you?" the brunette took the opportunity to ask.

„I guess i was a late bloomer as they say. It was very confusing to me. And beeing at a boarding school certainly didnt make things easier." Maura paused, handing Jane one glass and cup after the other. „I fell in love with my roommate. She was really pretty and all. It was scary because the nuns kept telling us that being gay or bisexual is a sin and we would go to jail for it."

„Oh god. Thats horrible!" Jane exclaimed shocked. „You mean we wont go to heaven when we die?" she asked mockingly with an raised eyebrow. „Next you will tell me that there is no Santa!?"

Maura laughed heartedly. „No heaven, sorry honey."

Jane shook her head, picturing Maura as a shy 14-year-old girl who must have been terrified by the nuns words. This must really have been horrible.

„Good thing that you still decided to be with me." She continued their banter.

„Well, I figured that you were worth it." Maura replied and pulled Jane into a hug. „You`re the best thing that has ever happened to me." She softly said, becoming serious all of a sudden.

Jane blushed slightly at the sincerity in these words. „And you are the best thing that has ever happened to me." She said rubbing the blondes back. Their moment was interrupted by the girls who came dashing into the kitchen, reminding them that they had to move on if they didnt want to be late.

R&I

„Meet you for lunch?" Jane said as they called their elevators. Maura nodded and smiled. The doctors appointement would be in the afternoon and she was already excited. The hours until then passed quickly as there was a lot of work to do. Maura was called to a crime scene and Jane had her usual paperwork.

Once they were sitting in the waiting area the brunette glanced at the other women. It was no secret that she hated to go and see a doctor. Therefore she was glad when their name was called after 15 minutes.

She nervously shifted on the small examination table until the doctor entered the room. After some talk with the dok taking notes it was finally time to take a look at baby Rizzoli. Maura almost crushed Janes hand in anticipation, glancing at the tiny monitor. The brunette hitched a breath when a picture appeared.

The couple watched in awe at what yet was nothing more than a bundle of cells, realizing that this was real now. In a few month they would welcome another baby to the world. Jane bit her lip as a mixture of feelings rushed over her. Happiness, awe and maybe also a bit of fear of doing something wrong. Which was kind of ridiciolous seeing as to how she had already born and raised a child. But still.

The first time, she had done it all alone but now she had Maura. A parnter who was equally looking forward to have this child. The woman who loved her, who had become her family. Maura who sat next to her, holding her hand, looking just as happy as a child which is sitting in front of a huge pile of presents under the christmas tree.

They bantered at laughed as they walked back to their car to finish their day at work. Life was good, Jane thought. She sent Angela a picture oft he ultrasound as soon as she was back at her desk and when Frankie walked into the bullpen she showed it to him.

They hardly showed affection when at work, but today they hugged and grinned sheepishly. His and Ninas baby was fine too. It was due two weeks prior to hers and Mauras.

R&I

When Jane came home one hour after Maura, dinner was already ready. She kissed the blonde before grabbing some juice from the fridge. The girls excitedly told about their day at school and how their mums needed to talkt o the coach oft he baseball team to clear some details. Life definetly never got boring in the Rizzoli-Isles household.

Later when she and Maura sat on the deck, Maura nursing a glass of fine french wine and Jane sticking to a glass of water they relaxed.

„Do you feel it?" Maura asked into the silence, looking to Jane who sub-consciously moved her hand to her stomach.

„Yes, somehow." She said, not knowing how to eyplain that strange feeling. But she didnt have to. Maura simply smiled as she took her hand to lead her to their bedroom to make love.


	45. Chapter 45

Jane felt nervous. They were short of some detectives because of the flu which meant that she had to do more field work. She recalled all too well losing a baby a few years ago because of her work. She sighed and got out of her cruiser, walking over to the crime scene which was in a backyard of some shabby bar.

Maura was already there, kneeling next to the victim. The blonde shot her a surprised look when she saw Jane ducking under the yellow tape.

„_Hey!_" she greeted Maura, crouching down beside her to look at the victim. _„What have we got?"_

„_Male, 36, two gunshot wounds to the head."_ Her wife replied professionally. It hit Jane that she had missed being on the crime scenes lately. And most of all that she had missed being in the field with Maura. She gave her a soft smile before turning into work mode again.

„_Looks like execution style. Maybe a gang thing."_ She mumbled laughing when she caught the don't speculate glare of the her wife. _„We found the weapon."_ Frankie said and walked over to them holding a plastic bag with a Glock inside.

„_Well done."_ She praised him, taking the bag out of his hand to have a closer look. _„That's not the right one._" Maura interrupted her thoughts. _„The caliber doesn't match_."

„_And you can tell that without proof?"_ Jane teased her which got her another stern glare. Private Maura loved their bantering, but the ME Maura was definitely not up to joking. „I _can tell you because the wound is far too small for the caliber of the gun."_ She snarked.

Jane looked at Frankie who shrugged. _„Hell, in what kind of world are we living in, where guns are just lying around. And victims are shot with other guns?"_ she muttered.

„_In a world with too many guns?"_ Maura replied smartly as if stating the obvious. Jane rolled her eyes and shook her head. Maybe she didn't miss this so much after all she thought. Or maybe this was just too much to take in a world where she wasn't allowed to drink coffee.

She stood to inspect the perimeter of the crime scene as she felt grumpy now. She didn't want to pick a fight with Maura. To her surprise the blonde was waiting at her cruiser when she was done with her work at the crime scene. The body was long gone, so Maura had no reason to be still there.

„_I'm sorry for being so stern earlier."_ The blonde said apologetical. Jane glanced around and gave her a short peck on the lips when she saw that no one was looking. _„Its okay. You need this to do your work right. I understand."_

Maura nodded and sighed. _„Autopsy will be in two hours. Will you watch?"_

„_Sure as hell!"_ Jane replied and nudged her. „_Frankie told me that you are being his partner until his real partner got rid of the flu." _Maura said.

Jane who rolled her eyes nodded. „_I hope he`ll be back soon." _

„_Just be careful."_ Maura whispered before walking to her own car.

_I will_. Jane muttered.

R&I

The case kept them busy, but Jane still made it to the coach of the baseball team over the next few days. It didn't take long until everything was cleared up and Jane stopped at the sports store to buy some gear as a surprise for the girls.

Both were excited and over the moon, when they found out, that their dream was to come true.

„_Not in the house!"_ Maura shouted from the kitchen as she saw them swinging their bats in the living room. Jane was setting the table and interrupted her doing so to send them to the garden. Before they knew a ball had hit one of the bedroom windows and Jane giggled. "Reminds me of my childhood." she told Maura who sighed.

By the time they were done with eating dinner the window was repaired and Jane handed the handyman his money. _„The joy of having kids."_ She said when joining Maura in the kitchen. Maura laughed. _„True."_

When both entered the kid's bedroom for the nightly routine they found them with their gloves on. Convincing them to take it off for the night was almost impossible. But Jane managed by promising them to teach them some things the next day after work.

R&I

„_Come on, Maur!_ _We need your help!"_ Jane called to the blonde who was sitting on the deck with a medical journal as they practiced like Jane had promised the previous day. Maura shook her head but padded towards them laughing. _„I don't know if I will be much of a help. I'm not good at this."_ She stated a little bit whining.

„_I teach you too._" Jane offered with a grin and gleaming eyes. And so she did. It took them all a while to notice the figure standing at the fence watching them in silence.

„_Mother!"_ Maura exclaimed when she finally saw Constance. Jane followed the blonde's eyes and gave the elder woman a greeting nod. She had actually expected for this to happen one day and she wondered why it had taken so long.

Constance opened the gate to the garden of their house, walking down the little stone path leading towards them.

„_Hello, cherie." _Constance said and greeted Maura with a kiss to each cheek. Jane found her face unreadable and obliged as Constance repeated the procedure with her. She smelled the extravagant perfume of the woman.

„_Do you want a drink?"_ Maura offered politely and walked towards the house when Constance said that she would love to have a Cognac. Jane cringed when being left alone with her in the garden. The kids hardly knew Constance and checked the elder woman cautiously. Sophie pulled away slightly when Constance bent down to greet her the same way.

It was an awkward situation. _„Lets go and have a seat."_ Jane told her mother in law, instructing the kids to practice what they had learned so far. They appeared to be happy to be let of the hook and ran away.

„_They are so sweet, and so grown up."_ Constance stated as they walked to the deck. The brunette didn't know if she was serious or just polite so she didn't comment.

„_What brought you here?"_ she asked instead.

„_I see that you have lost nothing of your directness."_ Constance mumbled sitting down into the chair Maura had vacated earlier. Her eyes wandered over the still open journal. „_That's what i always liked about you."_ She added after pushing the paper away.

„_There is a vernissage i have to attend. And i thought that I might use the opportunity to visit my daughter."_

Jane swallowed down her anger. Nothing had changed. This woman appeared whenever she wanted like a queen. And usually only when she had business to do in town. Maura came out of the house carrying a try with two glasses of cognac and a glass of orange juice for Jane. The brunette would have wanted a glass of alcohol too right know. But baby Rizzoli wouldn't appreciate it probably so she contented herself with the juice.

„_So, it's true. You`re having a baby?"_ Constance said as she noticed it.

„_Yes, mother. I told you so, didn't I?"_ Maura sighed, replying quickly before Jane could.

„_Yes you did."_ Constance mumbled. She surprised them by apologizing for her behavior. It was unclear if Maura's last call or the view of the happy family had changed her mind. But the main thing was that she got to apologize and admit that she had made a mistake in how she had treated Maura.

Jane who had wanted to wander off to give them space to discuss things and make up got caught by Constance's grip at her wrist. _„Don't go."_ The elder woman said. _„this is also an apology to you."_ Jane sat down again, nursing her juice, wondering if Constance was serious.

„_I wanted you to know that I put all of your kids into my will. __Not only Sophie."_


	46. Chapter 46

Playing baseball with the kids became a big part of their leisure time. And Maura sometimes joined them but more often she sat on the deck reading or watching them.

"_They are getting really good at it. I can't wait for the season to start next spring."_ Jane told her as she walked up the deck to grab her glass of water. The blonde smiled at her and she slumped into her chair. She was surprised as how good she felt since the morning sickness had finally passed.

And she noticed how Maura said that she was sexy, more often than before. At first, she had thought that Maura did it to make her feel better. But then she started to believe that the blonde really meant it.

The pregnancy had spiced up their sex life and they made love more often than before. Almost daily. Sometimes even twice a day. Jane wouldn't complain as her libido was far more awake and she liked being woken by Maura's hands on her body.

She cocked her head to the side remembering how the blonde had suggested to go to a sex shop this morning. It wasn't as if she was against it. But she still felt awkward thinking of doing such thing.

"_Look mommy_!" Sophie shouted over to her, holding the ball in her hand. Jane gave her a warm smile and watched how the girl exercised the technique she had taught them earlier to perfection.

"_Great job!"_ she shouted and clapped her hands, even though the ball had gone into the wrong direction. Maura glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. _"Its okay. She's going to find the direction eventually."_ The blonde gave her a sweet smile.

"_You are very good with kids." _She said and took her wife's hand. Jane blushed a bit. Jane sighed and joined the kids again to help them with their practice.

R&I

"_Jane, are you sure you have everything? Did you pack your vitamins?"_ Maura asked as they drove to the airport. Jane was going to a conference in Las Vegas for the next three days.

"_I've got everything."_ She said, resting her hand reassuringly on Maura's thigh. The blonde's eyes were glued to the street. It was raining heavenly and Jane hoped that the weather in Las Vegas would be warmer and better.

"_Have you taken your passport and ticket?"_ the blonde questioned and made Jane roll her eyes.

"_Yes, mum. I have everything."_ She replied a bit unnerved. Maura shot her a glare as the car stopped at a red light. Both glanced at each other stubbornly for a short moment.

"_I'm going to be fine, Maur. I'll eat healthy, I go to bed early, I don't hang around in smoke filled bars or drink alcohol."_ She chuckled softly. _"Baby Rizzoli and I am going to be fine and have a good time."_ Jane said more calmly knowing that Maura just wanted to make sure that everything was fine.

"_I love you."_ Jane said with a smile.

"_I love you too, Jane."_ Maura replied with a soft voice she only used for Jane.

The brunette turned around once more to wave at her wife before passing the check in. The flight was easy and nice, and she used the time to catch on some sleep.

"_Hey, Rizzoli!"_ an all too familiar voice shouted her name as she walked towards the exit of the airport. When she turned she saw detective Riley waving at her. The woman grinned as she walked through the crowd.

As they were attending the same conference and sleeping at the same hotel, they shared an uber. Jane learned quickly that Riley too had made it sergeant. She was married now and had two kids. She wasn't surprised when she learned that Maura and Jane were married.

"_Even a blind person could see that you are made for each other."_ She chuckled and looked happy for the brunette.

"_Man, I am glad to see you! At least another woman. We have to check out some bars."_ Riley continued fumbling a folder out of her pocket holding it towards Jane.

"_I have marked the ones I want to see with a circle."_ She said as Jane took it out of her hand.

"_That's nice. But I'm probably going to stay in."_ she muttered and added _"I'm pregnant."_ When the other woman looked puzzled.

"_Oh man. My husband wants a third one too, but I'm not sure yet. But congratulations!"_ there was a small hug before they arrived at the hotel. Riley insisted on carrying Janes luggage which made the brunette blush. "_I'm pregnant, not disabled._" She argued but Riley wouldn't have it and brushed all protest away with a wave.

Once Jane had settled in her room, she took her phone out of the pocket to text Maura.

**Hey babe. I'm in my room now. Everything went fine. Guess who I met? – J**

She smiled as she thought of her wife and wondered what her little family was up to, while she was away. It was almost dinnertime, so she took a quick shower. Her phone buzzed just when she walked back into the room.

She dropped naked onto the bed grabbing her phone.

"**Hey yourself ****! Im glad to hear that you are fine. Everything's fine here too. We miss you. Who did you meet? – M**

**I met Riley at the airport. She insisted on carrying my luggage after she learnt that we are pregnant. She sends you greetings. – J**

Dinner was delicious and Jane was glad to find herself placed at a table with nice people. The evening was fun.

She called Maura once she was back in her room. It was a short conversation because Maura had to leave as she was on call that evening.

Jane dropped the phone onto the bed next to her and sighed. She wasn't used to being alone, nor to the silence surrounding her. At home there was always something going on and she missed it. She missed talking to Maura.

She sighed and grabbed her book to distract herself by reading. She had a hard time focusing as she wasn't used to the silence. A silence which came to an abrupt end when the headboard of the neighbor's room started banging against the wall. Animalistic noises appeared and Jane dropped the book lo laugh.

**My neighbors are having a lot of fun. – J** she wrote Maura. Strangely the scene made her horny after a while. She hadn't watched porn in ages. She didn't have too as her sex life with Maura was good. _God_, she mumbled.

She tried to refocus on her thriller but couldn't as the urge between her legs became more and more distracting.

**Really? How so?** Maura replied and Jane smirked.

**I'm horny and wet**. Jane wrote with a pout and received a laughing emoji.

**Its not funny, Maur**. She wrote.

**You should masturbate Jane. It will help. Its perfectly normal that you are aroused easily when pregnant. **

Jane threw the phone aside and groaned. She covered her head with the pillow from the bed next to her but then threw it away again when it got hard to breathe underneath it. She looked at her phone as it buzzed again, finding a picture of Maura in sexy underwear.

**Just in case that you need assistance ** she read. Jane glanced at the perfect curves and thought of the parts hidden behind the black fabric and moaned. She gave in to her desire and reached down with her hand when she was interrupted again.

"_Maur?"_ she picked up, breathing heavier than usual.

"_Oh, I see. You followed my advice."_ Maura sounded pleased. _"What are you wearing, Jane?_" she asked in a sultry tone. "_Is this attempt to have phone sex?"_ Jane asked taken aback. She cringed and rolled her eyes at herself.

"_I don't know, Jane."_ Maura purred into the speaker. Jane smiled. She had never had sex on the phone before and had a hard time imagining how this could possibly work. But as horny as she was, she decided to give it a shot.

"_I'm wearing nothing right now."_ She replied truthfully and there was silence on the other end. _"Are you wearing what's on the picture?"_ the brunette felt a bit clumsy.

"_Yes. I put it on just for you. But when I think of you being naked, I can feel how my panties get wet and I want to get rid of them."_

Jane was surprised as to how her body reacted to these words. This might actually work she thought.

"_If I were there, I would help you take them off."_ She whispered reaching for her throbbing clit with her hand. Maura's breath sped up and she sounded excited. "_Tell me what you would do next Jane."_

The brunette gave it a thought, licking her lips. "_I would free your beautiful breasts from the bra and touch them."_

"_I would swirl my tongue around your beautiful hardened nipples and suck them before I tease them with my teeth." _Jane smiled as she heard a soft moan through the receiver. She bit her lip before she continued.

"_My hands caress your abdomen. My mouth follow,s leaving a trail of hot and wet kisses on your soft skin." _She paused imagining her doing while lazily circling her own hard bundle of nerves.

"_My mouth reaches your apex. I go slow now. One of my hands is twisting your nipple while my mouth covers your clit." _More moaning and Jane continued.

"_You taste so good, Maur. I just can't get enough when I suck your clit while my finger lingers around your wet core." _Jane hitched a breath when her hands hovered around her own core. Maura whimpered.

"_Are you touching yourself, Jane?"_ the blonde asked groaning when Jane said she did.

"_Fuck me."_ Maura pleaded over the phone and Jane chuckled softly.

"_I continue teasing you, running my tongue through your wet folds."_ Maura groaned. Jane imagined how the blonde probably arched her back right now and continued.

"_I tease your entrance with my tongue now." _

"_Please Jane."_ Maura whispered.

"_then I take my fingers and push them into your core."_ There was a deep moan as both entered themselves. Jane had a hard time focusing from that point on. She was breathless as she pushed hard into herself. And soon their moans mixed on the phone.

Jane heard Maura falling of the edge screaming her name, which made her come immediately.

Then she fell back into her cushion. Not bad, Jane thought, surprised by how aroused she had become during the call. The only thing she missed now was to hold and kiss Maura.

There was silence for a while. _"Are you still there, Maur?_" Jane asked.

The blondes muffled voice came over the loudspeaker. _"Yes. I miss you, Jane. I love you."_

"_I miss and love you too, Maur."_ Jane whispered. As it was already late they said good night and hung up.


	47. Chapter 47

It took Jane some time to realize where she was and why the second half of the bed was empty. She groaned and reached for her phone. It was only 5am and she realized that she could sleep two more hours.

Therefore, she turned to her side and closed her eyes again. But baby Rizzoli had other plans. The brunette felt the first kick ever from it and smiled. Her hands went to rub her belly, which still had a moderate size yet.

"_Good morning to you too sweetheart."_ She whispered, hoping for another kick. It didn't come, so she lifted from bed. The urge to use the bathroom got too big. When she lay back, she made herself comfortable, shoving another pillow to her back.

Her hands went back to rub her baby belly softly. "_your other mum is going to be over the moon when she hears that you kicked._" She whispered softly. _"And your sisters too. You know you have to older sisters. And a cousin of your age. You will be loved so much."_ She smiled to herself as she kept whispering to her unborn.

She stopped when she felt another kick. Her face split into a wide grin. Jane sent Maura a good morning text and got dressed for the day.

R&I

The conference was not so bad. Some of the topics were very interesting. She spent most of the breaks with Riley. She still missed coffee badly and watched almost jealous as Riley took a sip from her cup. Her mouth watered slightly and when a waiter passed with a plate of cakes and muffins, she grabbed two double chocolate muffins. She didn't care if they were unhealthy or not, she just needed them right now.

She glanced at Riley who was chuckling at her antics. _"I don't miss that part of the pregnancy."_ She smirked and Jane laughed. _"All in all its not so bad, you know? The baby kicked this morning for the first time."_

"_Oh yeah? That's wonderful! Do you know the gender yet?"_

Jane shook her head explaining that it was supposed to be a surprise. Although she wasn't sure if Maura hadn't seen it during the last ultrasound. She was a doctor after all. The brunette recalled her slipping once or twice, saying she. So, she assumed that it was going to be another girl.

"_Do you have any name yet?"_ Riley asked her.

"_Uh, Maura has a hole list, but I want to decide once I see the baby and hold it in my arms."_

"_I did the same with my two babies."_ Riley confided in Jane. _"It drove my husband mad. But I didn't care."_ She laughed softly. Now was obviously the time to show pics of their families and Riley let her see some pictures of her kids at various ages.

Jane then showed her some pictures of her family until the break was over. She quickly grabbed some more muffins for later and walked back into the room, following Riley and some others who had joined them, showing pictures of their kids too. She quickly typed a message to Maura, asking her how her day was going.

Maybe she should feel guilty eating a chocolate muffin. But on the other hand, she had only said that she would stay away from bars and alcohol. She softly chuckled to herself enjoying the delicious sweetness when her phone buzzed.

Maura wrote that it wasn't such a busy day at the morgue and that she had already shopped some new shoes earlier that day. The kids were fine and at school and everything was normal.

Janes grunt caught the attention of some of the people around her. She shot them an apologizing look.

**Shoes? Do you have a picture? I'm getting a cliché here Maur. I'm sharing pics with the other mums**.

**Lol. That's actually very sweet Jane. Ours are the most beautiful for sure. **

Maura's message was followed by a picture. But not one showing shoes as expected but another nice and sexy shot of the doctor. Jane blushed and quickly put her phone down before anyone could see.

**Not helping Maur. Not helping at all. How am I supposed to focus on the lecture if you send me this picture?**

**Gg Well es far as I see, you are not following anyways but texting with me. **** But I must go now anyways. New crime scene.. Hear you tonight? **

**Sure. Have fun. And… behave!**

**I always behave. Unless I'm around a certain detective… **

Jane sighed as she put her phone away. Only to take it out of her pocket minutes later to take another glance at the picture. Maura always looked sexy, no matter what she wore. But she couldn't help and grin at the energy the blonde was putting into them.

R&I

Maura picked up after the second ring sounding a bit breathless.

"_Hey, am I interrupting something?"_ Jane asked scolding herself for recalling their doings on the previous evening. I can be such a guy sometimes she thought. Always having dirty thoughts. Being horny permanently which was due to her pregnancy.

The blonde chuckled lightly. "_No, I was laying on the couch as I heard my phone ringing upstairs."_

"_How are you?"_ Maura asked softly.

"_Uhm, I'm fine. A bit tired maybe. But all in all, I'm fine."_

She relaxed as Maura told her about her day and how Julia and Sophie had practiced baseball with Uncle Frankie. Later they had played some board games before she had tucked them in and read to them.

Jane laughed when she heard how Julia and Sophie had tried to cheat on the blonde. They were so smart sometimes, but Maura was still smarter.

"_Baby Rizzoli kicked this morning._" The brunette said when the blonde had finished and it was her turn to recount the day. _"I received several kicks during the day too."_ She told her wife in excitement hoping that Maura wouldn't be sad as she hadn't been there.

She was grateful when Maura wasn't. _"The baby is going to be a soccer or something. I detect that from the force it sometimes has."_ She tried to sound serious but failed miserable and shared Maura's laughter.

"_Does it hurt?"_ Maura questioned sounding a bit worried.

"_Not really. It just surprises me all the time. I'm still not used to it."_

"_I can't wait to feel it."_ The blonde said and Jane could hear a smile in her voice.

"_Only two more days and I will be home again._" The brunette heard herself say thinking that two more days sounded long. Two more nights without Maura laying next to her. It was strange how one got used to not sleeping alone after all.

"_Can't wait for it."_ There was still a smile in the MEs words.

"_I love you, baby."_ Jane said and Maura replied that she loved her too. They wished each other good night before hanging up.

Jane stretched on her bed afterwards, feeling the baby stirring in her belly. Placing her hands there usually made it calm down as Jane had found out.

"_Just spoke to your other mum. She can't wait to feel your kicks, sweetie. We are all looking forward to you so much."_ Her whispers faded into her sleep as she turned around into a comfortable position and closed her eyes.


	48. Chapter 48

Jane sat at the hotels bar and nursed an orange juice. Most of her colleagues had gone out to party hard before they would return to their normal lives the next day. It was funny how everybody felt like a conference was an excuse to teenager like behavior she thought, and she really didn't want to know how many spouses or husbands had been and were going to be betrayed during this time.

Her mind travelled back to the call home, which had been earlier than usual so that she could talk to Julia and Sophie. A smile touched her face when she recalled the excited voices of her kids.

"_You look beautiful."_ A tall blonde woman said, taking the seat next to her.

"_Thank you."_ Jane replied taking a sip from her juice.

The blonde ordered a dry martini and sat in a way that Jane had a good look at her cleavage.

"_You're pregnant."_ The woman stated and smiled at Jane while her hand was reaching towards the brunette's belly. _"You know what they say about pregnant women. The have a certain look. I like that look on you."_ The blonde said bluntly and forward.

Jane who had sat in silence so far, turned to face the woman. _"I'm sorry uhm…"_

"_Dawn."_ The woman said with a seductive smile.

"_Yes. Uhm, I'm sorry Dawn, but I'm married, and I fought long enough for this relationship. I'm very happy and I don't feel the need to betray my wife."_ The brunette stated, taking the last sip of her juice before she slipped of her chair to leave.

"_Shame, this could have been good."_ Dawn sing songed but Jane ignored it_. "I don't think so."_ She mumbled. No one could give her what Maura gave her. There hadn't even been a second during their short conversation where the brunette had felt the need to flirt with this woman. Not even for fun.

Once back in her room she settled comfortably onto her bed, shaking her head in laughter. Somehow, she had thought to be safe after almost three days of no one hitting on her. She hadn't expected this to happen on her last evening. _"Oh boy, at least we have learned a lot about legal justice over the past days, right?"_ Jane mumbled to her baby, which she supposed was sleeping because there was no kick.

She grabbed for her thriller and read a few pages before plugging in her earphones to listen to some music. Maura had uploaded some stuff to her iPhone before she had left and she hadn't once listened to the playlist yet.

The first song was one of her favorites. Janis Joplin was singing Mercedes Benz. As Jane went on listening, she noticed that despite putting on some strange yaya songs or meditation songs as she would have expected from Maura, the blonde had chosen only her favorites.

Oh yeah, she sighed. She would be a damn idiot to do anything which put this marriage into trouble. The blonde was her person and she felt touched because of the blonde's thoughtfulness.

**I love you, Maur**. She typed and added a music note emoji to let her know that she was listening to her playlist. They must have hit the sent button at the same time because two messages appeared simultaneously on the screen.

**Good night, Jane. I love you. Xx M**

**Good night, babe. See you tomorrow. Xx Jane**

R&I

The plane arrived in Boston on time. Janes heart jumped in joy as she was going to see Maura soon. Excited she glanced around when she walked through the exit of the terminal. It took her a while to spot the blue Prius which was waiting in lane.

She dropped her suitcase to the pavement as it started to weight heavy in her hands. Maura was too far away to walk with her luggage over to her car. The brunette waited patiently until the blonde was close.

The sun was shining, and Maura wore some sunglasses. She pulled them down as Jane climbed into the car after putting her suitcase into the trunk.

"_Hey babe."_ She greeted and leant over to kiss her wife's cheek. She took a moment to inhale this beautiful smell of hers and as Maura turned her head their lips met_. "Uh, I've missed this."_ Jane groaned, pausing. _"I missed you. You look beautiful today."_

Maura smiled. "_I missed you too, Jane. Its unbelievable how hard it is to sleep without you."_

They shared one more kiss before Maura focused onto the street again as the convoi started moving. After a cars length the traffic stopped again, and Jane used the opportunity to take Maura's hand. They laced up fingers, sharing another kiss.

"_Uh, someone wants to say hello to you."_ Jane cringed briefly, untensing as the kick was gone. She led Maura's hand to her belly and made it rest on it. Baby Rizzoli kicked again, and Jane felt her heart beat go faster when an incredibly beautiful smile took possession of Maura's face.

"_I definitely see why you think that its going to be a soccer."_ She chuckled happily.

"_the baby is very active. Especially at night when I'm supposed to sleep_." Jane smirked playfully towards her belly. She felt a peck to her cheek. _"I love you."_ Maura whispered and they smiled at each other_. "I love you too, Maur. And thank you for your playlist. It saved my life yesterday."_

The blonde glanced towards her. "_I had a hard time falling asleep because of the activity in my belly." _Jane elaborated shrugging her shoulders.

"_I bet you expected me to put on some meditation music, didn't you?_" Maura nudged her side slightly with a teasing voice.

"_You surprised me a bit maybe."_ Jane admitted with a grin. "_It was a good surprise."_

It took them one more hour in stop and go mode until they were finally able to leave La Guardia behind. They didn't mind though, spending the hour talking and catching up. Exchanging sweet kisses and holding hands.

There was no rush because the kids were safely guarded by Frankie and Nina. This was a good opportunity to go for dinner at their favorite French restaurant. Jane still didn't understand the menu although Maura had translated her several times over the years, but she ordered the same meal there every time anyways. She found their steak just delicious.

"_You look just beautiful, Maur_." Jane complimented the blondes black dress, feeling underdressed at the same time. Maura replied the compliment seemingly not minding Janes slightly wrinkled suit.

"_Do you think Frankie would mind if the kids stayed till tomorrow?" _Maura wiggled her eyebrows over her glass of red wine.

Jane laughed. "_I actually had just the same thought. Let me text him."_ She took her phone out of her pocket quickly typing a few words.

The reply came back immediately, and Jane sighed. It said: yes. She told Maura that it was okay, and they decided to go for some dessert. Afterwards they walked hand in hand to Maura's car, stopping occasionally to exchange kisses and caress each other.

The Kisses got deeper and passionate once they were back at their home.

"_I have to admit that this sex phone thing turned me on. But I still prefer the real thing."_ Jane chuckled laying sideways because it had become the most comfortable position to her. She bent down to Maura who was laying on her back and placed soft kisses onto her mouth, her nose and her forehead.

Their hands were laced up together and Jane comfortably rested her head on her popped up arm. "_Me too."_ Maura said and let her thumb caress over Janes scars. _"Me too."_ She whispered again.

She looked at jane when the brunette cringed because she had gotten kicked again. _"It really is quite night active."_ Maura laughed, freeing her hand to touch the bare skin over Janes stomach. _"Told you so."_ Jane grunted in surprise when another kick hit her insides.

"_Hey, what do you think if we set up the nursery this week?"_ Jane asked, resting her hand on Maura's on her stomach.

"_It's a great idea."_ Maura mumbled and Jane could see her getting sleepy. There was one last thing she finally wanted to know before they would close their eyes for the night.

"_Have you seen the gender? Will we need pink or blue?" _

Maura glanced at her, rolling into the same position as Jane was to face her better. _"I don't know. First, I thought that it was going to be a girl. But I'm not sure after the last ultrasound. But I would prefer yellow in any way."_

"_Yellow is perfect."_ Jane smiled as she tugged a strand of loose blonde her behind Maura's ears.


	49. Chapter 49

Christmas was always a special time of year to Jane and Maura as they had met at the airport after parting ways. It had been the beginning for their relationship kind of, so they always tried to make it better than all the other holy days.

Angela sat on the couch with the girls and glanced towards the two beautiful women who were preparing dinner for Christmas eve. She loved the sight of this happiness which prevailed between her daughter and Maura. She loved how they gently touched each other and how they bantered.

It had been hard for her to accept Janes choices of life for a very long time. And she realized how much she had punished herself by thinking that Jane needed to change. She had driven her daughter away.

A soft chuckle caught her attention as Jane leaned against the counter teasing Maura who was busy slicing up some vegetables. Some gray hairs were starting to show in the dark curls which were bound into a ponytail for cooking.

Janes face was bright and her eyes sparkling in a way Angela could never have imagined. Jane kept touching her baby belly, which appeared huge. Angela had missed her first pregnancy only learning that she had a grand daughter when Frankie slipped a comment.

But she got to witness it now and she loved every ultrasound picture or picture of the family she received over WhatsApp. She smiled as Maura nudged Jane gently to her side because her daughter was teasing her.

"_Ma! Can you please tell Maura that I know how to make Cannoli's?"_ Janes whining voice interrupted her thoughts. She shook her head and laughed as she walked over to the kitchen. Jane grunted and left a trace of flour on Maura's nose to tease her. Maura looked unimpressed and focused on her vegetables.

They had decided to spend Christmas in their home this year as Jane pregnancy was making it uncomfortable to travel. When Angela had arrived with Tommy and his little family two days prior, she had found a warm home, decorated with mistletoes, socks on the chimney and everything needed for a cozy home at Christmas.

Tommy was still together with Sandra and they and TJ were sleeping in the guesthouse, while Angela slept in the guestroom of the house. Nina, also carrying a proud baby belly, and Frankie made their way into the house, greeting the matriarch of the family.

Nina stayed in the kitchen with them and Frankie walked over to the girls who were watching some Disney movie. _"Can I help?"_ Nina asked the couple, but both declined the offer. Each taking care of preparing the course they had chosen to prepare.

It was difficult to size up in Angela's shoes, but they did their best and the table was in peril to break down under the loads of food they had cooked so far. Angela had decorated the Christmas tree with the kids the previous day and it looked just beautiful.

Jane hitched a breath when she felt some itching in her womb, grabbing for the counter. Maura stopped joking with Nina and walked over quickly. _"Jane? Are you okay?"_ she asked. Jane released the counter and her breath and nodded. As quick as the itching has come, it had also disappeared.

Well for now at least. There came another one later when they were about to start dinner, followed by some contractions. It was too early. The baby was only due in a week she thought, excusing herself to go to the bathroom.

She splashed some cold water into her face and took deep breath. _"Thank god."_ She whispered when Maura poked her head into the room to check on her.

Maura was about to say something when Janes water broke. Don't panic she thought as she realized that she hadn't even packed her bag yet. Maura who had read her mind nodded and dashed out of the door, leaving the space to Angela.

"_All right, Janie. Try to relax. It will hurt less._" She said, rubbing Janes back. Jane shrieked when her mother suddenly yelled: _"Frankie move your car out of the driveway. We need to go to the hospital."_

"_Good lord!"_ Jane mumbled. _"that wasn't very relaxing ma!"_ she said making her way out of the bathroom to change and clean up.

Ten more minutes later they drove as a convoy to the hospital and Jane unwillingly chuckled as she realized the fuss. "_What is it?"_ Maura asked holding on to the steering wheel of Janes SUV.

"_This is kind of our version of the Christmas story."_ Jane muttered as another contraction hit her. _"Driving to the hospital in the middle of the night, followed by the whole family to give birth to a baby."_

"_Shit!"_ this hurt. She bit her lips and groaned. Maura grabbed her hand reassuringly. _"We are almost there Jane."_

The brunette walked slowly through the patient's room, in order to relax. Maura always holding her hand on the small of her back. The nurses checked up on them regularly. After a few hours, a doctor came into the room to examine her.

"_I think we are good to go."_ He stated and the nurses started to prepare everything. Jane was grateful for Maura who was sitting by her side, holding her hand and saying encouraging and soft words. The blonde's free hand kept stroking softly over her hair and the mouth left sweet kisses on Janes forehead.

The brunette screamed and she was sure that everybody could hear her swearing as she pushed when she was told. "_You are doing great! Just a few more pushes."_ The doctor reassured her. _"We can already see the head."_

Jane fell back into the bed, exhausted from the last push. But Maura's smile gave her strength for the next one. "_Am I crushing your hand?"_ she asked, and the blonde nodded. _"But its fine. Don't worry."_ She left another kiss on Janes forehead after wiping away some sweat.

A few minutes later Jane heard a scream. Maura and she looked in awe as the doctor held up the baby so that they could see it. _"It's a boy_." Jane whispered in awe of this tiny human being with dark curls on his head. Maura gave her a soft kiss. _"I love you."_ She whispered and Jane replied that she loved her too.

Maura got to cut the umbilical cord, looking proud and happy. A nurse cleaned the boy a bit and then lay it onto Janes bare chest. His crying immediately stopped as he felt his mothers' bare skin. _"God, his so beautiful._" She whispered and greeted him with the softest _"Hi"_ Maura had ever heard.

"_Well done."_ The doctor said before leaving the room to give the couple a few minutes of privacy. Maura softly stroked over the hairs of the boy. There were no words to the happiness they just felt and so there was just silence.

The nurse took the baby for some more cleaning and an examination and Jane insisted on Maura staying with him. When she heard loud cheering and clapping in which had to be the waiting area, she knew that Maura had gone to give the clan the news.

The brunette smiled softly to herself. Glad to have taken this chance of having another baby. And this time, doing it right. She closed her eyes and reveled in the feeling of the love which was surrounding her.


	50. Chapter 50

Jane and the baby had to stay at the hospital for a few days. Maura spend almost every night with them, helping Jane nurse the baby. Angela had cried when she had seen the boy for the first time. Then she had just hugged both tightly.

She was still in hospital when Nina gave birth to a healthy son too a few days later. And both chose to share a room.

"_So, that's your cousin Luca."_ Jane whispered as she lay their son whom they had named Will into the same crib. Nina watched her with soft eyes. _"They are going to have a lot of fun, I bet."_ She said and smiled.

The light mood suddenly changed as a doctor walked into the room with a stern look_. "Mrs. Rizzoli, there's something I would like to talk about with you._" He said sounding serious.

The couple was nervous as they sat down two hours later in the doctor's office. "_We always do some routine tests to make sure that the baby is fine."_ He opened the conversation. Jane and Maura grabbed each other's hands in search of support, fearing the worst.

"_It's nothing health threatening or so."_ The man in the white coat said when noticing the reaction. _"Its just that we …. Uhm.."_ he shuffled the papers in front of him.

"_What is it?"_ Jane blurted out. The doctor slid the file over to Maura. He knew that she was a doctor too and watched her reading the results. Jane relaxed a bit when Maura relaxed too. "_William is intersex."_ She glanced up to the doctor who nodded.

"_The medicine is quite advanced in this field, so there is no reason to worry."_ He smiled reassuringly. _"It's a perfect and healthy baby. That's all that's matters for now."_

They discussed some more test that were to be performed and left his office.

"_What do you think?" _Maura asked as they walked down the aisle back to Janes room.

"_I don't know. I'm glad that Will is healthy. As to the rest I don't know yet. I have to process this first._"

Maura nodded in understanding as she felt pretty much the same.

R&I

Jane sat in the nursery, holding the baby after feeding it as the door creaked open. Angela silently waked into the half-darkened room and sat on the chair which positioned next to Janes. "_The baby is so beautiful." _She whispered and Jane nodded.

It was her second night at home and the girls had been excited to welcome their new family member. The couple had been afraid that they would have jealousy issues, but so far everything was fine.

Maura had suggested to introduce Will as a girl because it seemed to be more appropriate and easier. The whole thing was a bit complicated, but Jane agreed after having read that most people with intersex were usually turned into girls. This was due to the fact that the operations were easier. William became Willow and later when they knew how she developed they could still change. By this time Julia and Sophie would understand what was going on.

Angela had noticed how they had started to say she instead of he but had not given any comment yet.

"_Can I hold her?"_ Angela asked softly and Jane put the baby into her grandmother's arms.

"_We never told you, Janie. But when you were born you had a little penis. We had it removed by the age of five as you produced more female hormones than male. The doctors said that the penis wouldn't develop. It was just a little addition to you."_

Jane glanced at her mother in surprise.

"_Have you never wondered where this little scar down there comes from?"_ Angela asked. She wasn't curious. Just pointing out. Jane had always thought that she had hurt herself when playing. It had never been that big of deal to her.

Angela started to talk sweetly to Will, leaving her time to process.

"_Where you scared?"_ Jane asked her after a while.

Angela chuckled softly. _"I guess as soon as you have a child you are scared and worried. But yes. I was scared even though the doctors said that it was going to be fine. I was scared to take the wrong decision, to make you unhappy. Your father gave me a hard time. He wanted a boy so badly and you were our first born. But it would have been too complicated and I saw your best chance to be happy as a girl."_

"_I'm sorry, ma."_ Jane whispered low. _"I'm sorry for having you worried so much all my life."_

Angela gave her a soft kiss to the cheek. "_Its okay. That's already water under the bridge."_

They smiled at each other. Jane was going to miss her when she was gone. "_Don't worry, I will be back."_ Angela said as if reading Janes mind.

R&I

Jane sat on the deck watching the kids building an igloo out of the fresh fallen snow. She had six more weeks of maternity leave left and she enjoyed every minute of it. She thought about her talk with Angela and what she had learned.

When she heard Willow cry, she lifted from her chair and walked inside to feed her. Maura just walked into the door and gave her a warm smile.

"_Hey gorgeous, did you have a good day?"_ the blonde asked while kicking of her high heels and putting down her doctors' bag into the designated spot.

"_Oh, we had, right Will?"_ Jane lifted the baby into the air. She smirked when Will puked on her. Maura chuckled and walked into the living area to give Jane a kiss. "_Will seems to disagree."_ She teased Jane.

Their conversation was interrupted by the girls coming in through the back door. Their cheeks were red from the cold. _"Hey mum."_ They greeted Maura as they walked by to drop their wet jackets to the floor at the entrance.

"_Hey, girls. Didn't you forget to hang up your coats?"_ Maura smirked. Both grumbled and walked back to hang up their coats with a pout. Jane who sat with crossed legs on the couch laughed. _"Guess, who are becoming teenagers?"_

Maura smirked and pouted her lips too. She tilted her head from one side to the other. "_When will they go to university?"_ Jane laughed louder this time. _"I'm sorry, babe. But this will take us a few more years. You should have seen their faces when I made them do their homework."_

The blonde slumped onto the couch next to Jane and took Will into her arms. _"Careful. She will puke on your fancy silk blouse. Maybe you should change first."_ The brunette warned Maura. The blonde ignored her and started to talk to their daughter in her arms.

Jane used the opportunity to walk into the girl's room. She didn't want to give them the feeling that they had become unimportant now that Will was there. The baby was time consuming and needed a lot of attention.

Julia and Sophie were sitting on the bed and playing cards. _"Can I join you?"_ she asked and sat down as they nodded. They explained her the rules and Jane played with them for half an hour until it was time for dinner.

Jane stroke over Julia's and Sophies hair and the three of them walked together to the table. The baby was back asleep. Maura had heated the lasagna Jane had prepared earlier.

R&I

"_Three kids, Jane!"_ Frankie exclaimed as they were sitting at their favorite bar, enjoying a night out. _"I must have been drunk when I said yes to the third one."_ He mumbled and Jane wiggled her eyebrows.

"_How do you do it?"_ He asked in awe. "_You are always so composed and calm."_

"_I don't know, Frankie. I just take things cool. Maybe it's the age."_ She said nursing her beer. The first in what seemed like ages.

Frankie snorted. _"You are only two years older. That cant be it."_ Jane chuckled as he rambled on. She let him. She enjoyed spending some time with him and she felt happy when she returned home, finding Maura on the couch.

She sat down next to her and silently followed the documentary Maura was watching_. "Ma told me that I uhm had a little penis when I was born."_ She brought up the subject for the first time. She felt eyes assessing her from the side.

Jane smiled at her cheekily. "_Come on. We don't fuss about it okay? I just wanted to let you know."_

Maura pulled her back by her wrist as she was getting up to shower and check on Will. She found herself back on the couch withing seconds. Each of her knees resting next to one of Maura's hips. _"No big deal."_ Maura said and kissed Jane who leant in for a soft kiss. They made out on the couch and when Maura was about to pull Janes tank top over her curly had Jane made her stop. She was panting slightly after being teased by her wife's hand.

"_the kids."_ She muttered under her breath.

"_Are not going to interrupt. They are tired to death after chasing each other through the garden all evening."_

Maura's hands made another attempt to get Jane out of her tank top when the brunette stopped her again. _"Are you sure?" _Jane was already panting due to her arousal.

Maura chuckled. _"Yes, I'm 100 percent sure."_

"_Okay."_ Jane whispered lifting her arms so that Maura could finally continue undressing her.

They spend some more time on the couch after making love. The fire was burning and warming the room. Then they went to shower and slipped into bed.


	51. Chapter 51

2 years later….

It was a wonderful summer day in July. Julia and Sophie had just turned 14 and had asked for permission to go to the cinema alone. Maura was driving them while Jane sat on a blanket in the gras, playing with Will.

Will was developing fast. Too fast for Janes taste. She had taken her steps with 9 ½ months, her first word had been Ma-ma and as soon she could walk she had started following her big sisters around. Sometimes they liked it and played with her, but lately they more often acted unnerved.

But all in all, they loved Will and family life was good. She caught Will instinctively as the girl had stumbled. She pulled the tiny body into her lap and tickled her. Will laughed. She was so much alike Julia when she was younger. A happy toddler, not shy to explore the world around her and she always had a big smile on her tiny face.

Will giggled some more as Jane started to plant kisses all over her face. Dark curls were shaking as the girl tried to escape the attack. The brunette let go of her. Her eyes watching as the toddler walked away from her.

"_Hey!"_ Maura greeted Jane and they exchanged a kiss. "_You wouldn't believe me!"_ she pouted. _"The girls asked me not to kiss them goodbye in public. This is the stage we are at now, Jane! No hugging, no kissing no nothing!"_ she cited Julia and Sophie.

"_Hey yourself!"_ Jane replied with a soft smile_. "I know. They did the same thing to me when I dropped them off at school yesterday._" She smiled at Maura's horrified face, imagining how Maura just pictured how the teenagers were already 18 and moving out.

"_They still need us, Maur. We can still cuddle them at home. It's just that don't like it in public. They are still our little girls."_ She said reassuringly and patted Maura's knee.

Maura made a snorting sound, as if expressing that she didn't believe Jane. They both sat and watched Will walk around in the grass for some time. Their holidays were just around the corner and Jane started a mental list of stuff they needed to buy like sunscreen and games. Maura was meanwhile busy trying to catch up with the girls growing up.

The blonde secretly glanced at Jane who had started to dye her hair lately and little wrinkles started to show on her face. Most of them coming from laughing. She was still the most beautiful woman to Maura who leant over to plant a kiss on her cheek before getting off the pick nick cover to shower and prepare dinner.

"_Uhh, what was that for?"_ Jane asked grinning sheepishly.

"_No special reason, except for the fact that I love you."_ Maura smiled at the warm chocolate brown eyes. Jane watched her walk towards the house and smiled too. You are really lucky Rizzoli, she thought overseeing that Will was about to trip.

She went to pick up the crying girl from the grass and lifted her into the air to check if she was hurt. As she saw that Will wasn't she pulled her into her arms and carried the girl into the house. It was feeding time anyways.

Later Jane went to pick up the girls because Maura was preparing their dinner. As Jane drove Julia and Sophie home, she watched how they chatted excitedly in the back seat with each other. The times when they felt the need to tell her everything that had happened during their days seemed to be long gone and she sighed.

Both girls were starting the process of encapsulating from their parents, which was normal for their age. But it was still very scary to Jane. Even if she had acted cool about it towards Maura, there were moments she was worried.

Especially as the bound between Julia and Sophie sometimes appeared so strong that they wouldn't need any of their parents.

Moreover, there was an increasing interest in sexuality in all kind of variations which could be quite challenging sometimes. Jane chuckled slightly as she recalled how Sophie had bluntly asked about sexual intercourse leaving Maura and Jane speechless in surprise.

And of course, there had been the question at one point why Willow had a penis unlike them. Both, Maura and Jane, always tried to answer as honest as possible. This was no exception. Sophie and Julia were silently retrieving into their room for a while after Maura had explained to them that Will was intersex and what it meant.

Jane was aware that it was a lot to process for the 14-year-old girls and wanted to check up on them two hours after they answered their question about Will. But Maura held her back: "They will come once they are ready. And they will ask if they have more questions. They always do." The blonde said, cupping Janes hand on her thigh.

The brunette bit her lip and nodded. Maura was right. Still, it didn't sit right with her. _"I just want to see if they are okay." _She said, getting off the couch walking to their room. She found both lying on the bed talking. When the door was opened, they stopped, giving Jane the typical teenage _you are interrupting us with something that is none of your business_ stare.

The brunette backed up walking back into the living room. She hoped that Maura wouldn't give her the I told you so look now. But the blonde didn't. Instead she reached for the brunette's hand. _"Let's watch a movie and relax._" Maura said with a soft smile.

Jane grunted and put her feet onto the coffee table noticing the bottle of beer which Maura had brought along with her glass of wine. Her hands grabbed it thankfully and she took a big sip_. "Haven't seen that in a long time."_ Jane commented as Mrs. Undercover started to play after the blonde had pushed the play button.

"_I figured we needed something light and happy tonight."_ The blonde stated and Jane smirked. The smirk mixing up with a grin. "_Yeah. That was a perfect idea."_ The movie did indeed lift the heaviness of the topic out of the air.

Afterwards the couple checked on the girls and Will. All three of their kids were sound asleep so they crawled into their own bed after a quick shower. Jane flipped the light switch and watched the room go dark. And with the darkness her mind started to work.

So far, Will was healthy and fine. Every few months they had to bring her into the hospital for examinations like a status test of her hormones. This would be vital for later, when they had to take a decision – or better said had to help Will a decision.

Maura kept saying that it was important to see it as a chance, rather than a burden. Will was special and despite Maura's denial Jane felt as if the girl had this information implanted in her. Like she had always kind of known that she was gay and that this made her different.

She had spent hours reading up literature about the sub-consciousness and more hours about testimonies of intersex people. Only few described it at easy, but most claimed that their sex weighed their down. The psychological effect of not being normal was always there without doubt. The self-consciousness about being different was well known to the brunette. But Jane couldn't tell how big the difference was between struggling to come to terms that you're gay and struggling to come to terms that your intersex. There was a difference for sure.

Another thing was sure though: Maura and her would always be by her side and help her as much as they could. They would be there every step of the way and they would fight for Will as of course they also did for Julia and Sophie.

She closed her eyes and sighed as Maura spooned into her. Their warm bodies seemed to melt into one and the brunette rested one leg between her wife's as they fell asleep.


	52. Chapter 52

It was a warm and sunny day, as they drove along the highway. The summer vacation they had all longed for, was finally here. Jane shot a quick glance to the backseat through the rear-view mirror, seeing that Julia and Sophie were asleep. Each girl had headphone in their ears, their heads resting against the windows as they breathed deep and evenly.

Will on the other hand was wide awake, humming along the yay a ma music which was only playing because Jane had lost a bet against Maura the previous night. Jane had mused that the girls would be awake early, excited about their going on vacation. Maura had shaken her head and stated that they would have to wake them.

Jane, victory sure, had suggested the bet which she now regretted from the bottom of her heart. At least Will liked it. And the girls, well…. The brunette wasn't sure if this earphone thing was because it was typical teenage behavior or due to the music in the car.

Anyway, she had lost the bet. If she would have won, Maura would have had to were pants for the whole week they were on vacation. The brunette even had some nice sweatpants for her wife in mind, but she now put them mentally back into the drawer.

Maura chuckled at her pout from the passenger's seat, a pair of sunglasses hiding her eyes. But Jane could guess that they were sparkling. The blonde reached to the console and took her usb stick out of the radio. Instead she easily slipped Janes inside and Jane exhaled in relieve when one of her most favorite songs started to play.

Will wiggled to the rough guitar sounds, shaking her head and laughing happily. _"Thank you."_ Jane stated in relieve and the blonde grinned. The two teenagers started to stir in the backseats and Julia stretched herself, rolling her shoulders.

"_Ma, I need to pee."_ She said, catching Janes eyes in the rear-view mirror. _"And I'm hungry."_ Sophie added. Both whining. _"Hold on."_ The brunette mumbled. _"The next rest stop is in about 20 miles, sweethearts."_ She said after checking the navigation system of the car.

"_What?"_ Sophie asked, pulling out her earphones. Teenagers! Jane thought slightly amused before repeating what she had just said. _"Okayyyyyyy."_ The blonde girl acknowledged.

When they stopped Maura and the girls rushed into the toilets, leaving Jane and Will behind. The brunette rolled her eyes and chuckled. She was about to strap Will out of her seat when Maura came back.

"_Jane, do you happen to know where the hygiene products are?"_ the blonde asked and Jane could only hear her muffled voice because half of her body was still in the car, struggling to free Will who was becoming slightly whiny and unhappy.

"_Uhm, I don't know if we packed any. None of us is due the next week."_ She said once pulling her lean upper body out of the car, the toddler in hands. "Shit!" Maura exclaimed and the brunette raised an eyebrow. _"Language, Maur."_ She scolded her wife playfully and laughed at the delicious payback to all the times she had been scolded.

"_Its not for me." _Maura whispered and Jane raised an eyebrow. "Don't panic!" she heard herself say. _"We are going to find a drug store and buy all we need."_ Maura nodded and walked back to the toilets.

"_Damn, your big sisters are growing up fast. What comes next? They tell us they leave for college tomorrow._" She said to the toddler, shaking her head and laughing at herself. She watched how Maura came back with the girls, Julia's face was shining in a bright red color so Jane immediately knew who was causing their unplanned visit to a drug store. She hoped there was one close by.

"_Hey."_ She softly said to Julia who was about to climb back into the car. Her daughter stopped and looked at her. Jane smiled and pulled her arms around the small shoulders, leaving a gentle kiss to her forehead.

She felt how Julia pushed close into her body and she stroke the girls back. The encapsulating teenager clung to her and Jane reveled in the feeling to be needed. _"Let's go and find a drugstore."_ She softly said striking over the dark curls giving Julia a smile and a wink. The girl shyly smiled back.

Once they arrived at the drug store, Maura hopped out of the car, motioning for Julia to follow her. But the girl shook her head vehemently and so the blonde entered the shop alone. When she came back with a plastic bag she said: _"I think I covered everything."_ Jane gave her a thank you kiss and a smile.

It was almost evening by the time they arrived at the campsite. Jane and the girls set up the tent while Maura took care of Will. Julia and Sophie did well, assembling the parts quickly and having fun. _"Careful."_ Maura reminded them as they shouted _"En garde!"_ imitating a sore fight.

"_Look who's hungry."_ Jane said as Will started to move wildly in Maura's arm. _"We are hungry too!"_ the girls shouted, stopping their banter. Jane helped them to put the rest of the tent together so that they could leave for a restaurant.

The evening was quite relaxed with some delicious Italian food and a long hot shower to rinse off the dirt of the road as Jane had put it. They settled around a small campfire talking, joking and having fun.

Sophie had wished for a guitar for her last birthday. She was still learning how to play, but she was not shy about it. She played a song which she had practiced a lot recently and the whole family sang along. It sounded awfully out of tune, but they didn't care. It was fun.

Jane stood when she noticed that Maura was shivering. When she reappeared, she had two of her hoodies in her hands. Maura took it gratefully and pulled it over her head.

The tent was split into three sections. The girls shared one and Jane and Maura the other with Will and the middle section served as storage room. The brunette sighed as she slipped into the sea of blankets, the blonde had spread over the inflatable mattress. She adjusted her pillows and waited for Maura's warm body to scoot closer. Once settled both gave a deep sigh.

There were muffled voices from the other part, just after the blonde had mused, that Julia and Sophie were so silent that they had to be asleep. _"I'm afraid, there not."_ Jane joked, feeling already tired after the long day.

Will on the other side had fallen asleep quickly in Janes arms. Her little legs were struggling occasionally, and Jane recalled how she used to kick when she was in her belly. In hindsight she was really happy about the decision to have another baby.

The couple glanced as they heard the zipper to their section of the tent being torn down_. "Can we stay with you for a while?"_ Julia asked. The couple moved closer together making space for the two girls who gave a relaxed sigh after sneaking under the cover.


	53. Chapter 53

The first day of their vacation started slowly. The sun was already warming up the tent when Jane opened her eyes first. The rest of the gang was still sleeping. She glanced at the various body parts tangled up in knots.

She grunted happily as she was able to untangle her long limps to leave for the toilet. The first thing she did upon leaving the tent was straighten up and stretch her body. They were still sleeping when she returned with a bag full of Croissants, rolls and bread.

That moment she was grateful to have insisted on storing their luggage in the midsection of the tent. Going through her duffle bag she soon found shorts and a t-shirt. The brunette took a run around the lake which took her for about an hour.

She enjoyed the warm sun on her toned skin and every step made her body relax. It felt as if she had finally arrived at the vacation. When she came back Maura and the girls were sitting at the table which was ready for breakfast.

The brunette bent down to place a gentle kiss to a soft spot close to Maura's ear whispering_: "I love you."_ Maura mirrored her wide smile and reached for Janes chin to pull her closer for a kiss. _"I love you too."_ She said. Their little moment got interrupted abruptly though when Julia and Sophie exclaimed: _"Ma, Mum!"_ They rolled their eyes.

"_What? Were old but we are not dead."_ Jane said with an amused look, sitting onto the empty chair next to Maura who was holding Will. The joke stuck in her throat when she realized that the girls might have a problem that they were gay.

"_Why is it a problem when I kiss Maur?" _she asked, cringing.

She relaxed though when the girls explained them that they didn't want to know about their sexual life and that kissing was disgusting. Neither Maura nor Jane felt the need to correct them, knowing that they would find out sooner or later how wrong they were. They exchanged an amused look and started eating.

Afterwards they walked down to a small beach at the lake. Jane was lying on her side, her head propped up on her elbow. Will was silently playing with toy cars on the blanket between Maura and her.

"_Are you staring at me?_" Maura asked, her head stuck into her medical journal.

"_Maybe."_ Jane replied with a smirk. _"Do I make you nervous?"_ she asked.

"_Not at all. I was just wondering."_

"_You're beautiful, Maur."_ Jane said and smiled when hazel eyes turned to her. _"You are not so bad yourself."_ Maura teased her, putting the journal aside, smiling. They watched in silence as Will moved a yellow toy car over the blanket, trying to imitate a cars sound.

Jane watched Maura strike over her soft dark hair and kiss her forehead. The girl smiled at her. One night, when they hadn't been able to sleep, Jane and Maura had established some rules. One of them was not to overinterpret whatever Will was doing or with whatever she was playing with. It might sound a little bit weird, but sometimes it was very tempting like now.

The girl dropped the car and crawled into Maura's arms. Her eyes were heavy, and she put a thumb into her mouth before falling asleep.

"_Have you ever played with puppets?" _Maura asked Jane. The brunette scratched her head. "_No. I was more for the boy's games which might come as a surprise to you now."_ She winked. "_Oh, hell yes. I'm shocked!"_ Maura said playfully.

They discussed about stereotyping for a while, until Julia and Sophie arrived to sit on their own blanket. Jane watched how their eyes kept darting back to a group of kids of their age, playing soccer on the beach.

They also, shot some looks towards the girls. One of the taller boys left the group, a ball under his arm. He walked towards them. _"Do you want to play? We are two men short." _He asked the girls. They hesitated but then shot their parents a questioning look. Maura and Jane said okay and saw them following the boy.

"_That's what summer holidays are supposed to be like."_ Jane said feeling happy and recalled her childhood. Memories of endless seeming summer days were warming her heart as Maura agreed sub-consciously caressing the girls head in her arms with her thumb.

The evening came far too soon for everybody's taste and Julia and Sophie were a bit grumpy as they had to leave the game and their new friends. But their mood lit up as soon as each got served a huge portion of spaghetti Bolognese. They dug in as if they hadn't eaten in days.

Jane enjoyed her steak, which was just as she liked it: medium and Maura shared some Gnocchi with Will. Well-fed and totally content everybody crawled into the sheets for a good night's sleep only to find a new and sunny day awaiting them the next morning.

They rose early because they wanted to go on a hike. Jane carried the toddler in a carriage attached to her back and waist. Maura finished applying sunscreen on Wills face, touching Janes hips to walk around the brunette who shrieked.

"_What are you doing, Maur?"_ she asked feeling soft hands on her face. _"You also need sunscreen despite your tanned skin."_ The blonde stated simply as she applied some of the lotion onto her face and especially on Janes nose.

"_Well, you know, I can do that on my own."_ Jane chuckled, enjoying Maura's touch.

"_I know."_ Maura said with a smile. _"But I just felt like doing it for you."_ With that, the blonde turned on her heels to do the same to Julia and Sophie and then grabbed the backpack.

Jane walked ahead on a rather small and rocky path, followed by Julia and Sophie and Maura was last. The hike was more exhausting than anticipated but none of the women complained about the weight on their backs. At the end it was totally worth it.

The family stood at the peak, sweating and panting but happy. They looked around getting a beautiful sight of other mountains, valleys and small lakes. Maura pulled her phone out of her pocket and asked another couple to take a picture of them.

Whenever the girls spotted an animal or flower they stopped, which meant that they stopped a lot. Janes heart warmed when she found Maura excited about the girl's interest, telling them a lot of facts. Jane recalled the snail incident in school and giggled when Sophie shrieked after Julia had pointed out a snail to tease her.

Just as their parents they had developed a habit to tease and banter. Will was giggling when Sophie jumped away from the snail. She wore a sunhat and looked quite adorable which made Maura take what felt a thousand of pictures.

Once back at the camp they ate a bite and left for the lake again. Julia and Sophie had been whining about wanting to go. They immediately joined the group of their new friends to play another round of soccer, while Maura and Jane cooled down after the hike in the lake.

The toddler was held firmly by Janes hand and the brunette dipped her carefully into the water. "_Seems like Will likes it."_ Jane grinned at the child's laughter. Then Maura took Will so that Jane could swim a bit.

The water was cool, but not too cold. The brunette swam to the other sore and when she returned, she found Maura and Will on their blanket, warming up in the late afternoon sun.

R&I

It was on their last day of the holiday that Jane noticed how Sophie was especially interested in the tall boy, who had asked them to play on their first day on the beach. Maura was sleeping on the blanket next to her, a totally relaxed expression on her face. Jane pulled her legs towards her body and watched in silence how the boy and Sophie were sitting a bit apart from the rest of the group on a stone.

They were throwing stones into the water and laughing. His hand was touching hers slightly. It was sweet. She sighed and grabbed for her phone when it buzzed. It was her mother asking when she should come to pick the girls up. It was the same routine every summer. Julia and Sophie spent one to two weeks in Boston at the beginning of their holidays and then one or two more weeks at the end.

Either Maura and Jane drove them there staying over the weekend to also see some old friends like Korsak. Or Angela picked them up, spending a few days in New York to see Frankie and his family. It worked perfectly well for all of them.


	54. Chapter 54

Jane cringed when she returned to work the following day and found a huge pile of files and paperwork waiting for her on her desk. She slumped into her chair murmuring _"Uff!_" and took a picture to send it to Maura.

**Hope your day starts better than mine. – J**

She added, then started to sort through the pile.

**Guess there will be no lunch today. But it's the same down here. – M**

Came the reply a few minutes later. Jane grumbled and started to work. Despite working late, Jane managed to get only through half of it. When it was 9pm she decided to throw her pen onto the desk and to shut down her computer. Maura had written earlier that she was already home, preparing dinner. The brunette mused that dinner by now was certainly cold.

**Leaving work now. – J**

She typed as she drove down with the elevator to the parking garage. When she walked into their house the smell of warm food greeted her together with a tight hug from Maura. _"Will is asleep."_ She informed Jane who sat down at the bar.

"_How was your day?"_ she asked the blonde who sat with her. "Uh, half as bad as yours I guess." She said, taking a sip from her wine. The brunette grunted. _"One more of these days, and I will be done and everything is back to normal."_ She sighed and pushed the empty plate slightly away from her.

"_Have you talked to the girls today?_" she turned to Maura with a sore smile. The blonde grabbed her hand and held it. _"Yes. They are fine. Angela made cookies for them and they went roller skating in the park." _

"_Sounds great! Im glad to hear that everything's okay in Boston."_ She smiled. The blonde smiled back before sliding off her chair, pulling Jane with her to the living room. The brunette groaned as her feet landed on the coffee table and she felt her muscles relax.

Her arms wrapped around the blonde's shoulder and they kissed_. " You can choose the movie tonight."_ She said yawning. _"I'm not going to see the end anyway."_ She stated as she handed Maura the remote.

The blonde nodded and decided for a comedy. It didn't take long until she heard a soft snoring coming from Jane. She waited a few more minutes to make sure that Jane was asleep and then switched to a documentary about tribes in Africa. Jane wasn't fond of documentaries. Sometimes she still watched them with Maura. But Maura didn't want to bore her, so she waited until was asleep. Besides, so they could watch the rest of the movie together the next day.

The brunette stirred as she moved out of her arms. _"Come on, Jane. Let's go to bed." _She whispered softly, planting a kiss to Janes lips. Jane slowly opened one eye and murmured something which Maura couldn't understand because it was so low. The blonde chuckled softly giving Jane another kiss.

Her wife started to get up and she followed Maura upstairs. Their closes were quickly shed – Maura's being neatly folded and piled onto the chair, Janes resting in a pool on the floor.

R&I

"_Good morning."_ Jane greeted as she walked fully dressed into the kitchen to find a cup of coffee ready for her. _"You are the best!"_ she smiled and kissed Maura.

The blonde shoved a brown paper bag into her direction. _"I made you lunch too. Its unhealthy to skip lunch. I made your favorite puff uhm.. sandwich."_

"_Fluff sandwich."_ Jane corrected her grinning. _"Thank you Maur!"_

"_You're welcome! Just promise me to eat it."_ She said, sipping from her own coffee. They bantered a bit and then left for the precinct. Soon they were both emerged into catching up on their work again.

"_Rizzoli, to my office!"_ Cavanaugh barked and Jane rolled her eyes. She already felt some headache coming up and mischievously glanced at the pile which didn't seem to diminish today, no matter how hard she worked. But then she glanced at a picture of her family on her desk and smiled.

"_Close the door!"_ he ordered and then offered her a chair. Then he glanced at her with a smile, asking for her holiday. Jane even showed him some pictures of the kids, Maura and her. She wondered why he always had to use this harsh tone when talking to her in public and then became kind of a father once they were alone. She mused that the reason was simple: he didn't want the others to think that he treated her different than them.

Once they were done talking about her vacation, he switched into work mode again. _"I'm going to retire soon, Jane."_ He told her. _"And I think that you are ready to climb the career ladder." _Jane glanced at him, studied his face, assessing his unspoken offer.

Was she ready for this job and the responsibility which came with it? Yes, she thought. She was. _"Uhh, so you want to make me the boss of this uhm kingdom."_ She asked. Cavanaugh laughed. _"Yes. I guess I don't need to tell you that its not an easy one. But I'm more than sure that you can handle it."_

Jane just nodded and asked him what she would have to do and when he would retire. He gave her some papers and instructions. In two months' time this office could be hers if his bosses agreed. They shook hands and hugged briefly before the brunette left his office, feeling kind of numb. Her feet carried her automatically towards the elevators and she pushed the down button.

Maura was in her office typing away on her computer as she arrived at her destination. Jane closed the door and waited until Maura had finished. The pile on the blonde's desk was not as high but still remarkable.

They sat down onto the couch in her office and Jane handed her the papers for the application without any comment. She could see that Maura too had a headache the way she massaged the bridge of her nose.

Maura silently read through the application form before glancing at Jane. There was a glimmer of excitement in her eyes. _"What do you think, Maur?"_ Jane asked, taking the blondes hand_. "I think you would be the best to fill his shoes."_ Her wife said with a grin. _"Would you like to take the job?"_

"_Hell, yeah!"_ Jane said, grinning too. "You know how I like to boss people around. I could do it officially then." She cracked a joke recalling that Maura had once called her bossy. They laughed. No more words were needed. Jane would fill out the application at home after dinner. She left it with Maura so that she could take it home in her briefcase.

R&I

After another long day of paperwork – she wasn't finished yet though – Jane walked into their home at 7pm. Maura was feeding Will, while the lasagna was still in the oven. The toddler greeted her with a Ma-ma and a wide grin which melted Janes heart.

She took the spoon Maura tended towards her and finished feeding her making airplane noises and swinging the spoon through the air. Something she had always found utterly ridiculous when seeing it with other parents. But her opinion had changed drastically after finding out how fun it was.

"_Careful, Jane. You are going to drop.."_ Maura stated walking towards the oven to check on their dinner. But it was too late. Some of the carrot pieces slipped of the spoon and fell to the floor. Will giggled and struggled with her legs, sitting in her highchair.

"_You like that, do you? When mama drops the carrots."_ She said to Will who giggled more. Maura turned around from them, but not quick enough to hide the grin on her face. They tucked Will in together, singing her a song.

As Jane walked back towards the kitchen to take care of the dishes Maura pulled her back into a hug. _"Leave them. I will take care of them. But maybe you could prepare a bath for us?"_

Jane nodded, kissing Maura_. "Okay."_ Sure, to have some time until the blonde was done she arranged some candles and lit them, while the water ran into the tub. She chose her favorite bath oil which smelled like lavender. A deep sigh escaped her mouth as she slipped into the warm water.

The bathroom door opened soon enough, and an already naked Maura entered the room with two glasses of Champaign_. "What's that for?"_ Jane smiled and took one glass. _"I always wanted to know what it feels to drink a glass of Champaign in the tub. You know, like in Pretty Woman."_

Jane shot her an amused look and wiggled her eyebrows before they brought their glasses together for a toast. _"To us!"_ Maura said. _"To us!"_ Jane repeated. It didn't take long for both to feel the effect of the alcohol. The blonde shifted and settled between Janes legs, leaning against her upper body.

The brunette's hands started to caress the blonde's belly, working her way up until reaching the breasts. There was a sharp intake of breath when fingers started to twist her stiffening nipples. At the same time, Jane kissed Maura's neck. _"I love you baby."_ She whispered letting her hands go down again.

"_I love you too Jane."_ Maura whispered in between her heavy breath. _"Does that feel good?"_ Jane gently asked as she dipped into wet folds. _"Yes!"_ Maura panted as Jane knew exactly how to touch her. The dirty talk was new though and it turned her on even more.

"_Mhmm I like it when you're so wet."_ Jane whispered nibbling the blondes ear lobe. Her fingers brushed over the bundle of nerves and Maura gasped. Jane wrapped her free arm around her belly to hold her, while the other hand continued to tease her. She ran circles around the erected clit before slowly moving further down to thrust her fingers into her core.

It didn't take long for Maura to come. And Jane smiled when she screamed her name doing so. She softly kissed her wife's cheek and neck until Maura's pulse calmed down again.

They got out of the tub and continued in bed. Until both were sated and tired and fell asleep.


	55. Chapter 55

"_So, you mean that we can either decide now or wait and give Will the possibility to decide later?"_ Jane asked the doctor who was silently sitting in his chair, glancing at Maura who was reading the files. His eyes travelled to Jane and lingered on her for a moment.

His fingertips were put together in front of his chest and he slowly nodded_. "See, in some cases it becomes pretty soon clear what would be the most reasonable decision. Like in Will`s case. There are more male hormones. The female parts aren't developing as well as her male parts. Of course, the decision is up to you. But you have the rare chance to take the decision now which would make things a lot easier for Will."_

Now it was Janes turn to glance towards Maura. She felt helpless, sort off. All that she wanted was for the best to happen to Will. Maura took her hand reassuringly. _"We don't have to decide it today."_ The blonde said, needing some time herself to think it through.

The doctor bent a bit forward and agreed. _"Take your time. Call me if you come to a decision."_ They shook hands and left the office. Jane felt her heart pumping fast as they walked out of the hospital into the late autumn sun.

"_I think we should do it."_ She suddenly said as they slipped into her SUV. _"Don't you?"_ she glanced at Maura while she fastened her seatbelt.

The blonde cocked her head and Jane could literally see the wheels turning in the blonde's head_. "It would be the most reasonable thing, yes. I think so too."_

"_Do you think that we are bad parents if we take the decision for her… I mean him_?" the brunette finally asked the question which had been bothering since they had learned all the facts. Her biggest fear was to do something wrong. To take away a chance from her child.

Maura sighed and laid her hand onto Janes knee. "_What if he learns about this and comes to us one day and says that he would have wanted to decide by himself."_ Jane continued hitting the steering wheel with her palm out of frustration.

"_What if Will comes to us one day and asks why we haven't taken the decision, if we wait?"_ Maura simply answered with another question.

Jane took a deep breath. "_I know. I know. I'm just panicking. I don't know why."_

"_The mother of all fears when it comes to parenting._" Maura smiled softly_. "I panicked too at the doctors office. But I think we both know that this is the best decision. Me coming from the scientific side and you with your gut. Its fine. We let him be a boy."_

Jane softly smiled at Maura, her smile a bit crooked. "_The mother of all fears of parenting?"_

Maura nudged her slightly. _"Yeah, but sometimes we have to take decisions. And given our history we are not bad parents."_ She said more seriously, and Jane agreed after mulling over the words.

They drove in silence to the precinct to start their workday. Jane had been into her new positions only for a few days and she couldn't afford to be absent right from the start. There was a lot to learn and the missing routine made it extra exhausting. Cavanaugh had left his number and offered to give her advice, but to her it was a question of honor to manage it all by herself.

Its not that she wouldn't let people help her – she had changed a lot in that attitude – but she had realized after her first hour at his desk, that if she didn't get shit together by herself she would be talking to Cavanaugh constantly. In her mind he was the joker and her last retreat.

When she was done, she went to pick up the girls at Nina's and Frankie's. It was one of the rare days, where Maura had to stay longer than her. She had been called to a crime scene shortly before shutting down her computer for the day.

Therefore, Jane was responsible for cooking dinner. The girls were in full teenager mood and retrieved themselves into their room after dropping their bags and stuff to the floor. Jane rolled her eyes as she picked up the coats and hung them to the wardrobe.

After taking care of Will's needs, she started to cook Mac and Cheese. This was still one of the favorite meals of the girls. And it was becoming one for Will, who was sitting on the carpet in the living room, playing with her cars under Janes watchful eyes.

She threw the spaghetti into the boiling water, trying to ignore the loud voices from the girls. She rolled her eyes when she heard a loud thud. Sophie was standing in the middle of the room, gleaming angrily at Julia who was sitting on the bed. They were yelling at each other, but Jane couldn't make out what the fuss was all about. There lay a pile of books on the floor between them and she assumed that Sophie had thrown them to the floor which had caused the thud.

"_What's the matter?"_ Jane asked in a normal tone. Then repeated the question a bit louder until the girls stopped and looked towards her.

"_Last night I told Julia that I found Josh cute and today she clang to him, leaving me outside!_" Sophie spat_. "She stole him from me!"_

"_I didn't steal him. I have hung around with Josh before!_" Julia responded red-faced. _"Besides, you won't have a chance with him, because he is gay."_

"_So, how do you know? You just say it, that you can have him to yourself!" _

"_I don't want him to myself because I'm gay too!"_ Julia yelled out. Jane gasped slightly. This information was new to her.

"_Yeah? So why didn't you tell me before?!" _Sophie was furious, glaring at the other girl.

"_Hey, stop it! Would you? This is getting way out of hand."_ Jane stood between them holding her palms to both sides.

"_Stop it!"_ Jane said firmly as Sophie was about to say something. The blonde closed her mouth quickly, looking mad as hell.

"_Good."_ Jane sighed taking down her hands_. "Now, you girls take a deep breath. Maybe you can discuss this later once you're calmed down."_

They heard the front door open and shut and Maura's _"I'm home!"_ flooded the house. Sophie slumped onto her side of the bed and grumbled. Jane shot them one last warning glare and left the room.

She poured Maura a glass of wine and was about to finish cooking when the yelling started all over again. _"What's going on?"_ Maura asked curiously with a raised eyebrow.

"_Teenagers… hormones…They are fighting over a boy_." Jane told her. "_But apparently Julia is gay, so…"_

The blonde almost choked on her wine. _"She came out to you?"_

"_Ah well, it was more like: I'm not even interested in Josh because I'm gay."_ Jane chuckled. "_Definitely not the coming out she has planned."_

Maura smiled and rubbed her feet while sitting in one of the stools of the counter. "_Should we interrupt them?" _she asked.

"_No, I tried before you came home. I think they need to find some things out themselves."_

Maura nodded, watching how the brunette finished up and set the table. Then they called the girls to the table. Both walked into the room shortly after. Their heads shining red.

Jane noticed how they poked around in their plates. The girls almost never fought, so it was a rare sight.

"_Can I have my own room?"_ Julia asked towards the end of the meal. _"Sure."_ Maura replied. We can change the guest room into your own room. Julia nodded and shoveled the last bite into her mouth.

"_They'll make up."_ Maura said, while cleaning the dishes.

"_Yeah. They will."_ Jane nodded and handed the blonde another plate to dry.

And they did, but Julia still moved into the guestroom by the end of the week, as soon as it was prepared as such. It appeared as they both needed more space.


	56. Chapter 56

„_It's just a minor operation."_ Jane explained calmly to Angela who wanted to come to visit them. The brunette sighed, glancing at the files on her desk and the papers she had to sign. If she didn't continue working soon, she would be home late. And she wanted to leave as soon as possible to help Maura with the preparations for Wills visit to the hospital the next day.

"_I know, Janie. But its my grandson. And I want to be there."_ The matriarch insisted. Maura walked into her office greeting her wife with a nod. Jane signed her to sit down and held up two fingers saying that it would take her two more minutes.

"_All right. When will you arrive? Shall we pick you up at the airport?"_ she asked, giving in.

"_I'll drive. But thank you. You can expect me tomorrow morning."_ The brunette nodded and realized that her mother couldn't see her, so she agreed vocally. _"You have the keys anyways. We will prepare the guest house for you."_

"_Angela?"_ Maura asked after Jane had hung up.

"_Yes, she wants to come tomorrow."_

The blonde smiled. _"Of course she does. Its her grandchild."_ The blonde paused. _"she guards them with eagle eyes._" Another pause before she spoke up again: "_I delivered a report to Frankie and thought I swing by to see how my beautiful wife is doing."_

Jane laughed softly. "_I guess I would be doing much better with some coffee and a secretary."_

Maura chuckled. _"I can help you with coffee. But not with the secretary."_

Jane growled playfully. _"Well, I guess a kiss from you would help me too."_

Maura smiled and kissed her before leaving the office.

When Jane opened the door to their house around 7pm that evening she found Julia and Sophie slumped onto the couch while Maura was cooking dinner. _"Hey!"_ she greeted the girls and walked to kiss Maura. Stealing some pasta out of the pot she glanced at Will who seemed to sense that something was out of the ordinary.

Her feet were struggling impatiently in the air and the toddler looked a bit grumpy. Jane lifted the kid into her arms, covering the tiny face with kisses. _"Its going to be fine."_ She softly said, feeling the strong heartbeat of Will against her chest.

"_I already packed a bag."_ Maura stated while stirring the ragout. Jane nodded.

"_Can we come too?"_ Julia's voice drifted over to them from the living area.

"_You know that you have school tomorrow."_ The brunette said, placing Will back to the chair. The toddler started to cry.

"_Yes, but its our brother after all."_ Sophie whined. Jane noted that the girls were really worried and bit back _her but you can't do anything_ _to help when being there_. Instead she looked at Maura who nodded.

"_Okay. We will leave tomorrow at 7:30am."_ She said and lifted Will back into her arms. The girls voluntarily rose to set the table.

R&I

Jane gratefully took the coffee Maura handed her as they were waiting for a doctor to tell them how it went. Will had been crying and kicking with her feet when the nurses had come to take her to the preparation for the operation. When they had allowed one parent to come along, the blonde had left Jane with Sophie and Julia in the waiting area.

"_I passed the cafeteria on my way back and thought you might need one."_ She smiled softly at her wife. Jane turned to give her a kiss as the blonde sat down next to her.

It would take about two hours. It was astonishing how quiet the girls were, sitting on their chairs, glancing at the bit TV screen on the wall across from them. Jane laced up her fingers with Maura's and they stared to the screen too. The TV was mute, but there were only advertisements for health care products anyways.

They all glanced up when Angela arrived at the waiting area sitting down into the chair next to Jane. The brunette greeted her mother with a hug, and they talked about her drive. There had been a rainstorm and Jane had been worried a bit. Therefore, she was relieved to see that her mother was well.

The two hours seemed to pass very slowly and when the doctor arrived, they all stood up. There was some irritation in his face about the crowd, but when Maura said that it was okay, that they were all family, he told them that everything had gone well. They had corrected the little part which had been Willows.

They all stood at the little window of the ICU a few minutes later, staring into the room where William was still fast asleep. _I've got a son now._ Jane thought as if only realizing it now. She felt a soft nudge from Maura and both grinned at each other sheepishly.

William would have to stay a few more days and would be good to return home by Friday. Jane was suddenly grateful that her mother had come. Angela took the girls home while Jane and Maura silently sat by the bed and waited for their child to wake up.

Maura was reading the chart when Will opened his eyes. Jane softly squeezed the little hand she was holding and kissed the child's forehead. _"You're a very brave boy." _She whispered. Maura stroke over the soft dark hair.

They stayed with him the whole day, talking to him and Jane also carefully tickled the boy. Angela returned with Julia and Sophie in the evening. The girls immediately stroke the boy and covered him in kisses. It was touching to see how they took care of their little sibling. Jane hoped that it would be like this always.

R&I

William showed a great healing rate and could go home Thursday already. By then he seemed to have forgotten the operation and was his old self. He walked around the house and followed the girls smiling.

Julia and Sophie even allowed him to join their games which gave Maura and Jane some alone time. The brunette sighed as she slumped into the couch, automatically opening her arms for Maura. The week had been exhausting as she had spent most of her time between the precinct and the hospital. But she didn't mind as long as Will was fine.

"_I'm opting for a relaxing weekend."_ She mumbled and Maura chuckled.

"_Yes, me too. Maybe Angela can watch the kids so that we can go to a spa."_ She said in a hopeful tone.

"_Sure!"_ came Angela's reply came quick while she walked into the room. _"I thought I might cook dinner tonight."_ She added pointing towards the kitchen.

"_That would be great. Thank you, Ma."_ Jane smiled at the elder Rizzoli.


	57. Chapter 57

Jane was in Sophies room, putting away the clean laundry. It was a calm and sunny day and she had been able to get away from work earlier than expected. She opened the socks drawer and was about to throw some socks inside when she noticed the chaos. Sighing she started to order the socks when her hand felt some foil at the bottom.

"_What the hell!?"_ she thought when she pulled out a small package and opened it. The brunette didn't even have to sniff to know that she had just found a small amount of grass. she sat down onto the unmade bed while her mind tried to process her finding.

The girls had turned 15 over the last months. Wasn't it to be expected? Wasn't that the age she had shared her first smoke with some of the teammates from her football team? Still, she couldn't approve her findings.

She quickly shoved the foil package into her pocket when she heard the front door open and the girls chatting loudly as they walked into the house. Jane decided to finish her work and talk to Maura later. Sure, that the girls wouldn't claim her missing pot she left the room with the empty basket, feigning that everything was all right when they walked past her, greeting her briefly.

Another sigh escaped her lips and she brought the basket back to where it belonged. The girls were chatty during dinner, telling their parents excitedly about todays win of a base ball game. Maura and Jane listened, chuckling about their lightness and jokes. Still, the brunette watched them closely trying to figure out what the grass meant. She was worried after having seen too many addicted people during her career.

"_What's the matter?"_ Maura finally asked as they sat down onto the deck with a beer and a glass of wine. The girls were still laughing and chatting away while doing the dishes. And they could hear them as the opened kitchen window gave to the side they were sitting.

"_Nothing."_ The brunette said, nursing her beverage. Maura raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"_You were very silent during dinner."_ She stated, trying again.

"_I'll tell you later."_ Jane whispered, placing one finger in front of her lips. The blonde nodded as she understood that her wife didn't want to discuss the matters when the kids could hear them. A worried look crossed her face and her body tensed a bit.

They watched Will walk around the flowers, glancing at a bee which was flying around and sitting down here and there. The noise in the kitchen finally subsided and Julia poked her head out of the door to inform them, that they were done and off to the shower and to their room.

Both nodded and grabbed William to give him a shower too. He didn't protest as Jane lifted the boy up and carried him to the bathroom of the master bedroom_. "Bath!"_ he commanded_. "Will, bath."_ He repeated insistently.

Maura glanced at her watch, deciding that there was enough time before bedtime and let some warm water into the tub. They stayed and played with him and his toys which consisted of a huge yellow plastic duck and some fishes of the same material.

Then they tucked him in together and sat by his side, reading him a bedtime story until his eyes became heavy and he fell asleep. They shot a glance into Julia's room on their way back to the living area. Both girls were lying on the bed, playing with their phones looking bored like only teenagers could.

Jane silently grabbed for the small package in her pocket when she was sure, that they were alone and silently slid it over the table towards Maura. _"I found this in Sophies socks drawer today."_ She whispered.

The blonde studied it, before opening it slightly and sniffing.

"_Is this what I think it is?"_ she whispered back, knowing very well that it was. But there was still a little trace of hope that Jane would say no. _"If you think that this is weed, then you are right."_ Jane destroyed all of Maura's illusions.

"_What are we going to do with it?"_ Maura asked, turning the foil between her fingers, eyebrows furrowed as she was deep in thought_. "I don't know."_ Jane said truthfully, leaning back into her chair.

There were a few moments of silence before Maura spoke up again_. "I never smoked a joint."_ She admitted. _"Well, you are not going to start now, do you?"_ Jane cracked a joke cringing when the blonde stayed serious. "_No way!"_ Jane said decisively, having the feeling that she had just gotten the blonde an idea. _"I always wanted to try…."_ The blonde admitted.

"_You already tried it at the lab with Kent. Remember?"_ the brunette stated, hoping to get Maura off the track. She seemed to seriously consider smoking it. She knew that she couldn't forbid it. Her wife was grown up. But she definitely didn't like the look on the blonde's face which was adventurous.

"_Hell, Maur. We can hardly smoke it and then forbid it to the kids. We are role models."_ Her voice sounded pleading. _"Oh, we are going to wait until they are not at home._" Maura whispered with a devilish smile_. "Have you never tried?"_

Jane rolled her eyes. _"Of course, I have! But it had no effect on me. Nothing, nada!"_ she stated trying to grab the package. But Maura pulled it away quickly and shoved it into her pocket. The blonde giggled.

The girls appeared on the deck and Jane knew by their look that they had found out that she had stolen their weed. But to her amusement they didn't comment. She thought about dropping the subject, but when she realized that they had to talk about it one day she made them sit down. Both were hanging their heads, not daring to look at her.

The brunette sighed, knowing very well that she couldn't control them 24/7. The chance that they would smoke weed was there anyways. But she could still give them a little speech. "_I got it from Brian. We didn't plan on smoking it."_ Julia blurted out before she could open her mouth.

"_But it was tempting, right?"_ Jane asked in a soft and understanding voice which made them look at her in surprise. Obviously, they had expected a thunderstorm. _"Yes."_ Julia finally admitted after studying her mother through chocolate colored eyes which she had inherited from her.

Jane nodded, keeping a kind expression on her face. _"I hope you know that I can't approve of it. Not only because I am a police officer but most of all because I have seen what this does to the people. I know that its tempting at your age. And if I'm honest, I also tried it once or twice when I was your age. But some people get addicted to it easily."_ She paused. She wasn't a saint. And she was half as calm as she appeared to be to the world outside. Fear and anger made her heart race. But she knew that it would be a mistake to deny her own history. And even more so to get furious and scream at them.

The forbidden fruit might tempt them even more. So, she stayed calm and explained to them her experiences, sharing some of her stories she had witnessed when being a police officer in the streets. _"What I'm trying to say is, that its okay to try it. And I trust you that you are reasonable enough to stay out of this business."_

There was a wide-eyed look from Maura's part, followed by a quick approving look. They watched the girls mind mulling over the words. _"I assume that you won't give it back to us?"_ Julia probed with a wry smile. Jane swallowed hard, but then realized that it had been a joke and chuckled.

"_No! Its going to be flushed down the toilet."_ She said, pulling her hand softly through the same dark curls she wore_. "So, are we good? Can we go back to our room?"_ her daughter asked.

"_Only after a hug."_ Jane said and felt Julia's arms wrap around her. Her child clung to her and Jane rubbed her back. _"thank you."_ She whispered, placing a kiss to the girl's forehead, hoping that everything was as smooth as it seemed.

She let go of Julia to hug Sophie. And then the girls hugged Maura and left to go back to their room. _"I think I need a run."_ Jane murmured, still feeling scared and in a turmoil. _"Go." _Maura said. _"I'm going to do some yoga." _She chuckled softly.


End file.
